Sanders County hit hard with SNAP cuts

SANDERS COUNTY – A decrease in benefits of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program may hit Sanders County harder than anywhere else in Montana.

The decrease will affect 1,500 to 1,800 Sanders County residents and with the county experiencing the highest population of individuals who are food insecure in the state, the impact is predicted to put a significant strain on the local food banks.

Chief Executive Officer of the Montana Food Bank, Gayle Gifford, explained that food insecurity means individuals are unsure of whether or not they are able to provide themselves with the next meal.

In Sanders County, 21.2 percent of the population is considered food insecure, the highest number in Montana. The average statewide proportion is 14.5 percent.

“Having 21 percent of your population considered food insecure is pretty significant. And the percentage of children considered to be food insecure is 31 percent, again the highest in the state,” Gifford said.

Gifford explained that because of the overall need in the area, Sanders County has also seen a huge jump of participants in SNAP from 2007 to 2012, with a 73 percent increase - 16 percent higher than the state average.

“A lot of people have been signing up for SNAP in relation to the recession and recovery. And it doesn’t look like Sanders County is experiencing much of a recovery,” Gifford explained. “Proportionally (Sanders County) has a pretty sizable population that is receiving it now, that wasn’t then.”

Gifford explained that on average SNAP lasts about three weeks to a month for a family. With the decrease, people will have to stretch their resources for a longer amount of time.

“They are going to be losing 21 meals per month with the SNAP benefit decrease,” Gifford said. “(People) may be looking at two weeks (of food) instead of three.”

According to Jon Ebelt, public information officer for the Department of Public Health and Human Services, the decrease in SNAP benefits for an individual is about 10 dollars a month, while for a family of four it adds up to approximately 36 dollars a month.

“The total reduction amount was 13 million dollars to the entire program out of a budget of about 190 million statewide,” said Ebelt. “People are going to feel the reduction and it will have an impact.”

Ebelt explained the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act was put into place in 2009 as a stimulus law in order to try to strengthen the economy. The reduction was written into law, however, he explained that over time many people who came into the program may have forgot about the future decrease along the way. He also explained that many joined the program when there was an increase in benefits, learning to rely on those added benefits.

“What we’ve tried to do is over the last couple months is just get the word to SNAP recipients that this was happening so they could make some adjustments or just to be informed or aware that this was coming,” Ebelt explained.

Ebelt predicted that local food banks will feel more pressure in the coming months, something Gifford agreed with.

“We have heard there has been an increase and we’re not even half way through the first month (of the decrease). The full impact may not be felt for a couple of weeks yet,” Gifford explained.

Gifford said on average an individual visits a pantry or kitchen six times a year for assistance and because of the decrease, she predicted people may have to make more visits.

To combat the increase of need, the Montana Food Bank Network is in the process of increasing their resources to better provide food to their partner agencies.

Numerous partner agencies are located throughout Sanders County stretching from Noxon to Dixon.

Gifford explained the organization is stretching their efforts into their nationwide networks to help funnel as much food as possible to the partner agencies in need. The organization has also initiated a new program called the Wholesale Shopping List. Gifford explained this allows partner agencies to receive free food or shop for food at a low cost through the Montana Food Bank Network.

“We are trying to get more creative and we’ve been more aggressive at the national level to bring in donated food. We are trying to meet demands by increasing the amount (of assistance available),” Gifford said.

However, according to the head volunteer at the Plains Food Bank, Deb Warren, sometimes that simply is not enough.

“This county has been hit hard and it started about two years ago. Getting food has become difficult,” Warren explained. “The Food Bank Network has their limited sources for food and we try to buy from them, but if they don’t have it then we have to go elsewhere.”

She explained the community as a whole is a major support for the food bank.

“We have a lot of churches that bring us weekly donations and canned goods,” Warren said.

The donations along with monetary contributions help keep the food bank in operation.

Warren has worked with the food bank for four years and has already seen a dramatic increase in need.

“We have seen an overall increase in need in the last year,” Warren said.

Warren predicts with the SNAP benefit decrease, more people will need the food bank’s services.

Luckily there is help on the horizon. Warren explained that Town Pump is currently having a food drive and will match up to $5,000. This is the food bank’s main fundraising effort of the year and last year they were able to bring in approximately $4,000. With the 100 percent match from Town Pump, the Plains Food Bank was able to turn that into a total of $8,000.

Anyone who is interested in donating to the food bank is encouraged to bring donations on Tuesday from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. or can call Deb Warren at 544-5971 for more information.

“We can double it if they donate it,” said Warren.