What does the future hold for hunger in Minnesota? Two nonprofit leaders weigh in

INTERVIEWER: Today, federal employees are receiving their first paychecks since the nation's government shutdown more than two weeks ago. That means the money they're taking home today is significantly less than what they'd normally see. And food shelf leaders in the state are preparing for potentially increased demand as the shutdown continues.

While a national leader on ending hunger in the US happens to be visiting our state right now. Claire Babineaux-Fontenot is the CEO of the non-profit Feeding America, and she's meeting with Second Harvest Heartland CEO Sarah Moberg today to talk about the shutdown and more. They both join me on the line now. Thank you both for your time today. Really appreciate it.

SARAH MOBERG: Thanks for having us.

CLAIRE BABINEAUX-FONTENOT: Happy to be here.

INTERVIEWER: Sarah, I'd love to start with you. So you were going to be meeting today at a Second Harvest Heartland headquarters. Of all of the things going on right now, what are the top of mind issues that you're really hoping to put your heads together about today?

SARAH MOBERG: Well, there is a lot going on right now in the world of hunger relief. And most importantly is SNAP and SNAP benefits, and ensuring that neighbors who rely on those benefits continue to see the payments that they count on.

INTERVIEWER: Definitely top of mind. Claire, I understand that, some states are warning SNAP recipients that their eligibility for the program could change starting next month. That's coming down from President Donald Trump's tax and spending policies under the bill, they called a one big beautiful bill. What would those changes look like from your perspective? Because it is a unique perspective of seeing so many Americans and feeding millions of people across the country. What are you concerned about right now regarding SNAP.

CLAIRE BABINEAUX-FONTENOT: I'm really concerned about the fact that even before these recent changes, we were seeing such significant increases in the number of people who were turning to the charitable food system in need of support and resources and the uncertainty that's been created in this moment as well as the actual impacts that are likely to come down the line, are deeply concerning to people experiencing hunger themselves. And therefore they're concerning to me and to this whole network.

INTERVIEWER: And like I mentioned, they're at the top also, federal workers dealing with a shift in their income and uncertainty. Sarah, there are nearly 20,000 federal workers living in Minnesota. Is that something that you're factoring in maybe more people needing to lean on food shelves that maybe wouldn't have otherwise as the shutdown plays out?

SARAH MOBERG: Absolutely. And we are working closely with our food shelf partners and those in The Hunger relief network to make sure that we are being responsive and that we have the right programs and maybe it be additional distributions. Whatever the community needs, we want to make sure that we're partnering to deliver.

INTERVIEWER: Sarah, what are you hoping that people can take away from this time, as we're also nearing the holiday season and it's going to be getting colder out. A lot of things seem to be merging at one point.

SARAH MOBERG: Absolutely. We in Minnesota that one in five Minnesota households can't afford the food they need, and that is a significant and important and dire number. And so we want to make sure that we need everyone to come together, whether it's policy makers or business and community leaders to ensure that we are able to bring people the support that they need today, as well as through the upcoming holiday months.

INTERVIEWER: Claire, I want to take a step back here, if you would, with us, and we would probably need a whole hour or more to really get into this, but since you have been working on hunger at a national level for so many years, what do you say to people when they say like, how did we get here? What is the root cause of our problem with hunger right now? I know the last five years have been really tough since the COVID pandemic, but what is your sense for how we got here as a nation.

CLAIRE BABINEAUX-FONTENOT: Let me step back a couple of steps for you. When I first joined this work as CEO, I recall realizing that the nation didn't truly understand the state of hunger in the country then. And I felt that was one of the biggest impediments to progress is when we as a nation decide to take on a challenge together, we are so impactful. And you mentioned then COVID most would naturally believe that food insecurity rates spiked during COVID. That would be true, but only at the beginning.

In fact, when we as a nation in a bipartisan way, locked hands and decided that we were going to do the things necessary to help people experiencing hunger, we did. And we saw food insecurity rates during COVID go down to some of the lowest rates ever recorded. So I would tell people I am hopeful about what happens when we as a nation decide to take on a challenge.

We tend to be highly effective when we do. I would encourage your listeners to recognize that this can be one of those things that brings us closer together, rather than drives a wedge between us. It is the only way to sustainably address getting those numbers down for good.

INTERVIEWER: You're thinking it is definitely something that doesn't need to be politicized when it comes to people's hunger. And talking about 400,000 Minnesotans relying on SNAP and some of those eligibility changes, we talked about thousands of other federal workers amid the shutdown right now with different amounts coming in.

So there are a lot of people that are in a state of limbo right now and who are feeling like these issues have become politicized in a way. So, Claire while we have your time today, what do you see as the future of long-term solutions in just getting behind the changes that you're wanting to see because it sounds like what you're saying is when people got extra assistance during the pandemic, the nation was able to do it. They were able to help and really make a dent, but it took that decision for that assistance to come.

CLAIRE BABINEAUX-FONTENOT: That should inspire us to be hopeful. Those of us who are in the positions, like Sarah and I are, they're counting on us to be nonpartisan, not bipartisan, but nonpartisan about this. There is no demographic that is not represented among those who experience hunger in this country where 50 million people rely on the charitable food system for help and not touch every political stripe.

This is a reflection on America, and we as a nation have the wherewithal to do something about it. And one of the most important things for us to do first and foremost, is to listen closely to people actually living with hunger. Ask them what are your aspirations? What would you recommend? Our philanthropy system actually depends on a top down approach.

If we're going to have true systemic and sustainable change, we'll need a very different approach than that. We'll need to rely on the expertise of people who are going to be most impacted by the things that we engage in. So we're doing that at Feeding America. Second Harvest has been doing that alongside us. That's a key part of the solutions going forward. And then making sure that policymakers understand that it is in their interest and however it is that they define their constituencies, it's in the interests of their constituencies to do something about this.

INTERVIEWER: Sarah, I'd like to kick the last question to you. Building on what Claire was saying about so many people of so many backgrounds are touched by hunger and more so as we're hearing about these historic levels of hunger that people are experiencing really across the nation in many places. So if people are feeling stretched at this time or in the months ahead, what should they be turning to first?

SARAH MOBERG: Claire is right. And part of what we have been doing at Second Harvest Heartland is working to center our work on our neighbors and our neighbors needs. If a listener out there today is looking or seeking for help, we do have a care center helpline that is available that will remain open. And so we have people ready to answer phone calls. You can find information out on our website toharvest.org, but it's a place where we can not only help fill out SNAP applications, but also direct people to food shelves close to them.

INTERVIEWER: Sarah and Claire, thank you both so much for your time. Really appreciate it.

SARAH MOBERG: Thank you

CLAIRE BABINEAUX-FONTENOT: Thanks for having me.

INTERVIEWER: That was Second Harvest Heartland CEO Sarah Moberg and Feeding America CEO Claire Babineaux-Fontenot.