Without SNAP, Twin Cities food shelves struggle to fill the gap
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A line wrapped around the building Monday afternoon at Keystone Community Food Center on University Avenue in St. Paul.
Keystone is one of the Minnesota food shelves seeing increased demand due to the federal government’s pause in federal food benefits, or SNAP. Inside the food shelf’s busy warehouse, volunteers sorted through food donations.
The community has stepped up, says Keystone’s director of basic needs, Georgi Nguyen.
“We’ve just seen an outpouring of support from our community. The bell has been ringing nonstop for our donations here,” Nguyen said.
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But the increased support is still not enough to fill the cavern left without federal food benefits.
Last week, Keystone’s food shelf reached peak capacity several days in a row and had to turn away additional visitors.
On Monday, President Donald Trump’s administration said it will restore food benefits, but only at half of the previous level — and after what could be significant delays.
Nguyen said Keystone is trying to figure out how to serve more people.
More than 400,000 Minnesotans rely on SNAP benefits, including nearly 90,000 people in Ramsey County alone.
"We’ve been focused on seeing if we can increase the number of services we have available. That includes expanding hours,” she said. “Just, how can we create more opportunities for individuals to come get groceries here at our food center and out at our mobile sites?”
Nguyen said visitors to the food shelf have been anxious about the future. Visitors there utilize services just three times a year on average, usually as a supplement to other benefits.
As SNAP delays continue, the frequency of those visits could increase.
Finding your local food shelf:
Check your options online. Food shelves have varying hours.
Some are appointment-based, some take walk-ins, some offer curbside pick-up. Find one that works for you.
Second Harvest Heartland has a map to help you find food resources near your home.
Donating to your local food shelf:
Many food shelves accept individual donations or food coordinated through a larger community food drive.
Donate unexpired items in unopened containers.
The most-requested items are meat and dairy, but those are not accepted as donations due to food safety reasons.
Most-needed items include cereal, pasta, canned meat and proteins, cooking staples, culturally-specific items, baby care and hygiene items.
Monetary donations often go further than food donations. Food shelves have more spending power.
Volunteer your time if you can’t spare food or money.
