Broome County Executive Jason Garnar has declared a state of emergency as Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits are set to lapse on Nov. 1.
The federal government has suspended the food assistance program as the government shutdown continues.
On Friday afternoon, a federal judge gave the Trump administration a deadline of Monday to continue to pay at least reduced SNAP benefits.
Administrative delays could still prevent the funds from flowing immediately.
Food banks and pantries across the country, including in the Southern Tier, are preparing for a spike in usage.
Garnar said the state of emergency in the county will last until SNAP benefits are disbursed again.
Rides to food pantries and resources on Broome County Transit buses will be free for SNAP recipients who show their EBT card to the driver. The county transit system has also lifted a limit on the number of grocery bags allowed on buses.
Broome County Sheriff Fred Akshar also announced that the county will reallocate $200,000 from a Broome County Sheriff’s trust account to purchase emergency food for local pantries.
Joe Sellepack runs the Broome County Council of Churches. The council operates the Community Hunger Outreach Warehouse (CHOW), a network of food pantries across the county and the Greater Good Grocery on Binghamton’s North Side. They have been preparing emergency food boxes.
“One of the places we will be sending these boxes to is the Greater Good Grocery itself,” he said on Friday. “Sixty-five percent of the people who shop at the Greater Good Grocery do so using SNAP.”
According to the New York State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance (OTDA), SNAP recipients will be notified on the status of November SNAP benefits through text message and on the OTDA website on Nov. 1.
County officials said residents who receive SNAP benefits but do not see their payment pending Saturday should not worry, as benefits are usually distributed through Nov. 10. If funding is released before then, SNAP disbursements will still go out to beneficiaries.
The county advises residents receiving SNAP to continue attending their scheduled appointments and interviews, and to still provide any requested documentation to the Department of Social Services, which processes SNAP applications and disbursements.
For a county-wide map of food pantries, community meals and other resources, visit the Broome County Food Council’s emergency food access map. The city of Binghamton also has a list of local food assistance resources, and 211 can direct callers to resources.
Residents over 60 years old can visit Broome County Senior centers for hot lunches Monday through Friday. The suggested contribution is $4.00, but the county Office for Aging said senior centers will not turn anyone over 60 away if they cannot pay.
Garnar encouraged residents hoping to help support local food pantries to donate funds, rather than food. He said local providers like the Community Hunger Outreach Warehouse (CHOW), run by the Broome County Council of Churches, are able to make cash donations go further because they get discounts for buying in bulk.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul declared a statewide state of emergency Thursday, with an additional $65 million in state funding going to emergency food providers.
