Two Bangor food pantries that were open on Saturday saw a surge in visitors as the federal government shutdown delays food assistance.
As the shutdown enters its second month, the Trump administration has remained firm that the U.S. Department of Agriculture will not release benefits for SNAP recipients in November.
Saturday was the first day of the month, and although two federal judges ruled Friday that the Trump administration must continue funding SNAP despite the shutdown, it’s unclear if or when families will actually receive the food assistance they need.
Food pantry staff in Bangor worry that the continued uncertainty and delays to the benefits could quickly deplete their supplies as they try to meet increasing demand from people who don’t know if they’ll be able to put food on the table this month.
“I’ve never seen it like this,” said Jim Michaud, the site manager in Bangor for Samaritan Inc, which operates a drive-through food pantry at the Rock Church at 1195 Ohio St.
Cars started lining up at 7 a.m. Saturday morning, Michaud said, and he’d already counted 120 by the time volunteers started distributing food. Cars snaked all the way around the parking lot and down the street.
The pantry typically serves between 140 and 160 families per week, he said, but already last week there were 65 more families than usual.
“People are really scared right now,” he said, noting that as the uncertainty around when SNAP benefits will be released continues, he expects similar attendance levels in the next two to three weeks.
The pantry gives out food — mostly perishable goods like meats, breads, produce, deli items and desserts donated by Hannaford — every Saturday from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Samaritan Inc is one of many food pantries and local organizations working to get food to the 170,000 Mainers who rely on SNAP.
Three-quarters of the households getting benefits include at least one working adult, while more than a third have someone with a disability and more than a third include children, according to the Maine Department of Health and Human Services.
Fifteen percent of Penobscot County residents are enrolled in SNAP, according to the state.
Tony Buerhaus of Bangor usually gets his SNAP benefits on the 14th of each month, but now, “Our food stamps may not come in until god knows when,” he said.
Buerhaus frequently visits the YMCA food pantry at 17 2nd St., and while he said he’s grateful for the extra food he can get at the pantry, he’s worried about having enough this month.
Because he doesn’t have a car, it’s also hard for Beurhaus to get to many of the food pantries in the area. On Saturday, he said, “even if I wanted to take the bus out there I couldn’t,” because Bangor doesn’t offer weekend bus service. He said he wishes there were more transportation programs to help people who may need to cross town to get food assistance.
The YMCA food pantry is open Tuesdays from 6 a.m. to 8 a.m., Thursdays 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. and Saturdays 12 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.
While it typically gets about five to seven visitors in a given day, those numbers have jumped to 12-15 recently, according to YMCA Membership Experience Coordinator Erin Toomey.
Since attendance has doubled, “I do anticipate that we will clear out much more frequently than we’re used to,” said Teddy Steinhorst, the YMCA’s teen center manager who also coordinates the food pantry.
The bulk of the pantry’s food comes from Hannaford donations and food purchased at a discount from Good Shepherd Food Bank, according to Steinhorst.
Community members can also donate food at any time during the YMCA’s opening hours by dropping it off at the front desk, he said.
Staff restock the pantry on Mondays and Thursdays with a mix of shelf-stable items and food they store in a refrigerator and freezer. Proteins such as canned fish and meat, ready to eat meals, and shelf-stable milks tend to be in highest demand, according to Steinhorst.
“I’m hopeful that we will be able to continue to provide food to everybody who comes in looking for it,” he said.
At least one family visited the YMCA’s pantry for the first time on Saturday.
Andrew, who declined to share his last name, stopped by with his partner and young son, who is enrolled in SNAP.
Usually, their son’s benefits come in on the 3rd of each month, Andrew said, but he’s worried they may not come in at all this month. The uncertainty is particularly stressful since the family is expecting another baby due next week.
“SNAP is a really big help to us,” he said.
Families that rely on those benefits may have more information early next week after one of the federal judges who ruled the USDA must fund the program gave the agency until end of day Monday to tell the court whether it would fully or partially fund SNAP.
“It is shameful the Trump Administration refused to use funds Congress specifically set aside to keep SNAP benefits flowing during a federal shutdown,” Maine Attorney General Aaron Frey said in a statement Friday.
Mainers in need of food assistance can search for pantries near them at 211maine.org. Faith Linking in Action also keeps a calendar of Bangor area food pantries and free meals on its website.
