Southern Utah food pantries brace for rising demand during shutdown; contributions urgently needed

With the federal gov­ernment shutdown put­ting Supplemental Nutri­tion Assistance Program (SNAP) payments on hold for November, food pantries across Utah, including those in rural Southern Utah, are preparing for a sharp increase in need.

Photo courtesy Utah Food Bank / Timpanogos Food Bank.

The Utah Food Bank, which supports more than 300 partner agencies state­wide, estimates that about 87,000 households, cover­ing roughly 169,000 people, could lose their regular food benefits. CEO Ginette Bott told the Utah News Dispatch that many local pantries lack the space, refrigeration or staff to make up for the missing federal aid.

About one in 20 Utahns depends on SNAP benefits each month, including fam­ilies with kids, older adults, people with disabilities and nearly 6,000 veterans who have served but still struggle to afford groceries. In Southern Utah, com­munity pantries in Kanab, Cedar City and St. George say they are already seeing more requests. The Kane County Care & Share pan­try, which normally serves about 150 local households each month, has seen new faces every day since the shutdown began.

The Iron County Care and Share in Cedar City reports that food donations are coming in slower than usual while demand keeps climbing.

The Utah Department of Workforce Services, which oversees SNAP, warned that if the shutdown contin­ues past November 1, ben­efit cards may stop working entirely, even for families with remaining balances. Pantries across Southern Utah are calling for dona­tions of both food and funds to help fill the gap.

“The challenge that we face as an organization is the unknown,” said Bott in an interview with FOX 13 News. “We don’t know timelines, we don’t know dollar amounts, we don’t know programs for sure. It’s hard to plan when you think it’s coming, but you really don’t know.”

Residents feeling the pressure from the shut­down have resources avail­able. In Kane County, Utah, Kane County Care & Share serves sites in Kanab, Orderville and Big Water via monthly distribution events and mobile-pantry support from the Utah Food Bank. For residents of Fredonia, Arizona and nearby areas, the Fredonia Food Bank (100 E Woodhill Rd., Fredonia) and the Town of Fredonia Commu­nity Health Center (distrib­uting food boxes on the first & third Thursdays) offer essential emergency food access. Impacted house­holds are encouraged to call ahead, confirm hours, and bring proof of address or ID where required.

Contributions to the agencies listed above are urgently needed. Contact each for information about donating food or funding.