MILFORD, Del. - Food frustrations are brewing on Delmarva.
Supplemental SNAP benefits to help families put food on their dinner tables that began during the COVID-19 pandemic - has ended.
"Those dollars going away are going to have an impact on that family being able to put food on their table," said Chad Robinson of the Delaware Food Bank.
SNAP is the short name for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, and the benefits are commonly called "food stamps."
The benefits, which were authorized by the Federal government in the early days of the pandemic in 2020 were called "emergency allotments," which were intended to end along with the end of the public health emergency.
However health hazards were not the only outcome of the pandemic. The economic disruptions caused by the pandemic could take years to be resolved, and are causing high prices for food staples and anxiety in Delmarva homes.
"An extension of the benefits definitely would help families, because everything is so much more expensive in the store, and if you have a big family, it's hard to feed them," said Sandra Spence, a neighbor from Magnolia, Del.
Such an extension is not likely, at least in the near future.
That has the Delaware Food Bank bracing for a surge in demand for food assistance.
"We want to make sure that we are here to continue to meet the needs of our community," Robinson said. "But to that end, we're going to need the help of our entire community to make sure that we can do that."
The Maryland Food Bank said in a statement that they expect Eastern Shore families to forego as many as 50 meals per month with the end of the supplemental SNAP benefits.
To make a contribution to the Delaware Food Bank, or to refer a person in need, visit fbd.org.
For the Maryland Food Bank, visit mdfoodbank.org.
