The Delaware Food Bank has been busier than ever, and they believe that need will continue to rise as a result of the reduction of federal food assistance and the continued rise of inflation.
The federal government stated in January that additional SNAP benefits, formerly known as food stamps, would expire at the end of February on a national scale. These emergency allocations have existed since the beginning of the pandemic.
SNAP Program
In the past three years, about 124,000 Delawareans have relied on this additional federal stipend, which provided beneficiaries with the maximum benefits for their household size. They received their final emergency rations on February 28.
According to research conducted by the Urban Institute, these emergency allotments prevented more than 4 million Americans from falling into poverty, including tens of thousands in Delaware.
Families that rely on the SNAP program will now receive their normal subsidy, based on their family size, income, and expenses, dating back to pre-pandemic times. Some people will now receive as little as $23 a month.
The Food Bank will resume drive-thru activities that were held at the height of the outbreak. In the final week of March, SNAP families would have gotten the monthly installment of increased assistance.
Drives will be held in each county:
- Sussex County: March 27 at 10:00 a.m. at the Crossroad Community Church
- Kent County: March 29 at 10:00 a.m. at the Dover Motor Speedway
- New Castle County: March 31 at 10:00 a.m. at DelTech Stanton
With the assistance of Delaware’s Department of Transportation, more than one hundred volunteers will work on these events to ensure that people receive assistance as soon as possible. The Food Bank predicts that for each of these distributions, more than one thousand homes will be served.
Read more: Social Security: How to maintain $4,555 monthly benefit?
Pressures On Delaware Food Bank
During the pandemic, food donations to the Delaware Food Bank plummeted, primarily as a result of supply-chain concerns and inflationary limits on contributors. Last year, food donations decreased by about 2.5 million pounds.
“We are seeing more people now than at the peak of the pandemic,” stated Kim Turner, director of communications for the Delaware Food Bank. In January and February of 2023, we averaged 1,050 patients per week. This represents a 74% increase from the previous year.
Before the outbreak, the Food Bank purchased a little less than $490,000 worth of food. At the end of the previous year, this figure increased to $4.7 million.
Turner stated that the Food Bank hopes its distribution events at the end of the month will provide community members with the assistance they require to ease the transition back to regular SNAP payments in the face of unprecedented inflation.
The state will provide $3.2 million in transition assistance.
Read more: Social Security: Best retirement account to help you retain more of your benefits