As holidays such as Thanksgiving and Christmas approach, many lower-income families are starting to make sure that they can have enough food to get through the season. The holiday season is already tough for many families, as food insecurity often becomes more prevalent. However, this year might pose a new challenge. A government shutdown has been looming for months, with Congress struggling to approve a spending bill. A temporary funding bill was passed on September 30th to keep the government open, but that will end on November 17th. If another agreement can’t be reached by that date there will be a government shutdown that will affect a wide range of government services. One such program is SNAP, which provides low-income individuals and families with food stamps. If the government is forced to shut down people who use food stamps will not be affected initially, but the longer the shutdown is the more likely a disruption in SNAP benefits is.
A shutdown and the influence it may have on food stamps will affect students in the North Clackamas school district as well. While the number of students who use SNAP benefits is not public information, the amount of students on free and reduced lunch is. And because children who are in households that receive SNAP benefits are automatically eligible for free and reduced lunch, it is possible to estimate the amount of North Clackamas School District students that can use food stamps. When looking at the high schools in the district, the percentage of students eligible for free and reduced lunch ranges from 25.49% at Clackamas High School to 56.56% at Milwaukie High School.
The Compass spoke with students whose families use food stamps about their experiences with SNAP benefits and their thoughts on what would happen during a government shutdown.
Nelson Senior Mohammad Nur Adil says much of his family, including his grandmother and uncle use food stamps. “They have both been here for only a couple of years, so they need the extra support”. Adil adds that if his parents weren’t able to provide them with housing as they do, his uncle and grandmother would barely be able to get by. This is the case for other friends of his that are on food stamps, he says the margins can be slim.
Adil and his family have been following the potential shutdown, “I know that SNAP benefits could stop if that happened.” He hopes that this will be prevented. “I know a lot of people who desperately need food stamps…they wouldn’t survive without it.”
Milwaukie Student Spryte Rodriguez recalls her time being on food stamps when she was 5 to 9 years old. “It was really important that we got our food stamps because we relied on them to survive.” She also added that she wanted the government officials to understand how important it is for families to receive these food stamps each month and she hopes they can prioritize them because she still has family members who rely on them.
Clackamas student Troy Advocaat is currently on food stamps and explains, “My family relies on these food stamps each month and is very concerned about them going away due to the government shutdown, this has been a great source of stress for us.”
On Wednesday the House elected a speaker meaning that they will now have the opportunity to fund the government. However, the threat of a shutdown still remains as there is no guarantee that a spending bill will be passed.