DELAWARE - With the federal government shutdown nearing the one-month mark, Delaware’s food banks and animal shelters are seeing more people in need and they expect that demand to grow.
At the Food Bank of Delaware in Milford, volunteers say concern is mounting as families face losing access to their Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits.
“They’re choosing between paying their utility bill and buying a bag of groceries,” said VP of Communications, Kim Turner. "We meet senior citizens who might be cutting a pill in half because they want to prolong their prescription because they can't afford them."
The strain extends to the Brandywine Valley SPCA, where staff say pet owners are calling more often for help feeding their animals.
“They will feed their animals before they feed themselves,” said Senior Operations Manager Laura Page, who added that adoptions have slowed while requests for pet food have climbed.
Right now, SNAP benefits are scheduled to end in just three days, on November 1. To avoid a funding lapse, Governor Matt Meyer has declared a state of emergency, allowing temporary state funding to keep the program running through November on a week-by-week basis.
This comes after Democratic legislative leaders sent a letter to the governor urging his administration to authorize emergency state funding to bridge the gap.