Amid the government shutdown, citizens relying on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and other government funded social programs are worried about their food security.
The status of government aid has been in flux for the last few weeks. On Nov. 3, judges ruled that SNAP benefits would be partially funded by the administration, but President Donald Trump has pushed back on this ruling heavily.
While some SNAP recipients received their benefits on Nov. 7, Trump has threatened to penalize states that have attempted to fully fund benefits for citizens on SNAP with financial punishment if they did not “undo” the funding.
It is still unclear as to how dependents on food aid will receive their benefits during the ongoing intragovernmental conflicts regarding SNAP and other government programs.
In Texas, one out of six households and one out of five children experience food insecurity. These factors make Texas the most food insecure state in the U.S. Additionally, Dallas County is the fifth most food insecure county in the country.
Due to the impending lack of resources that SNAP dependents will encounter, provided below are food banks and resources in the DFW area that can administer aid to those in need.
The Resource Center in Dallas primarily provides healthcare access to the LGBTQIA+ community, however, on location they have a food pantry that is accessible to the public. For those who are food insecure, they can help connect community members to proper resources. Their location is found in Dallas. They are open on weekdays from 9 a.m.–5 p.m. but closed on weekends.
North Texas Food Bank is found all over DFW and is open Monday – Saturday from 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. The North Texas Food Bank is partnered with over 500 food pantries making them the largest distributer of food based aid in Dallas County.
Metrocrest Services provides a well stocked food pantry for eligible visitors after an appointment is set. Each household has the opportunity to shop for food and hygiene supplies that will last them for 14 days, which can vary based on family size and what is available in stock. People who live in Farmers Branch, Carrollton, Coppell, Addison and the city of Dallas in Denton County are eligible to make an appointment at the food pantry. Families who receive government aid or who are within the Federal Poverty Guidelines can also utilize the food pantry without proof required. Families who are enduring a temporary crisis due to natural disasters or other circumstances are automatically eligible to access the food pantry.
Caitlin Hardegree, the marketing and communications director at Metrocrest Services, said: “Right now we simply do not have enough protein on our shelves to meet the basic nutritional needs of every neighbor who comes to us for help. Each week, our pantry expects to distribute about 1,500 cans or packages of protein, but we’re only receiving about 900—leaving a gap of roughly 600 meals that we cannot fill.”
While Metrocrest is doing everything they can to help the sudden influx of patrons, the lack of SNAP benefits has left a lot of food pantries in tough positions. Despite having difficulties keeping up with demand, Hardegree said, “Recently, over 300 people received emergency food in just two hours at our distribution event—proof that when neighbors help neighbors, no one is truly alone.”
Dallas College Brookhaven provides students with access to a food pantry, which also becomes available to the general public on Fridays. The food pantry is found in the J Building in Room J104. The pantry is open Monday – Friday from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. and closed on Saturday and Sunday. According to the Dallas College website, there are also accessible food pantries at other campuses, including Cedar Valley, Eastfield, Mountain View, North Lake and Richland.
Donna Andrade works as the student care coordinator and also the supervisor for the food pantry on the Brookhaven campus. She said: “Due to the government shutdown and SNAP freeze we have partnered with North Texas Food Bank and they have given us extra mobiles and extra food to keep our food pantries fully stocked. Right now, we could really use volunteers—especially for our upcoming mobile food drive on December 9. Volunteers are always appreciated and play a vital role in helping us serve the community.” The Dallas College Brookhaven drive-through pantry day is on Tuesday, Dec. 9 from 10 a.m.-12 p.m. in the parking lot in front of the S building.
Another valuable resource for food is community led grassroots movements. The Brown Berets DFW chapter has had a deep history of community outreach and has been a source of food stability for many.
The Brown Beret Organization is a Chicano-based organization that was founded in Los Angeles in 1967. Their mission is to serve and protect indigenous Chicano communities through mutual aid, education, community defense and more.
“The DFW area followed suit behind California pretty closely; started off as working with the Chicano communities with our people and our small little pocket communities,” said the DFW chapter commander, known as Bombita. “We do toy drives during the Christmas time, supply drives for those who are in shelter and those who are in need and little community events here and there.” They have also done food drives and have helped gather hygiene products and clothing for those in need. Brown Beret member, Thelma, brought up the event that they host, Barrio Love. “Depending on what the theme was, we would do a cookout, so we were feeding our community.”
The Brown Berets do not have any dedicated events planned, but they prefer to act in tandem with their community members by delivering food and supplies directly to those in need.
Many members of the Brown Berets help Dallas Sandwich Sundays, a non-profit that organizes and distributes, “ready-to-eat meals, snacks, clothing, harm reduction, [health] items and much more,” according to their website. They meet behind Dallas City Hall at 1701 Cadiz St, Dallas TX 75201. There is no dedicated sign up, so anyone who wants to help out is able to walk up and provide support in any way that they can. The setup starts at 11 a.m. and distribution starts at 11:30 a.m. Distribution days and further information can be found on their Instagram, @dallassandwichsunday.
Food security is an ongoing battle in the United States, more so now due to the latest government shut down and SNAP benefit delays. While the longevity of these government aid programs is unclear, there are plenty of resources in the DFW area for those citizens affected by food insecurity, from large food bank organizations to the local community organizers.
Now more than ever it is vital to spread awareness of these resources to the people in our communities who need them the most.
