Local pantry sees increased traffic as families 'brace themselves'
TOPSS has been “on overload” as local families were worried about the potential loss of SNAP benefits.
The Talawanda Oxford Pantry and Social Services (TOPSS) has been “on overload” as local families were worried about the potential loss of their Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, according to Executive Director Sherry Martin.
Martin told the Oxford Free Press on Nov. 3 the organization had been “busier than usual” as a result of families “bracing themselves” during uncertainty surrounding the SNAP program.
Changes in food aid guidance
As the federal government shutdown carried through the beginning of the month, President Donald Trump’s administration pushed to keep full SNAP payments frozen, according to initial reporting from PBS News.
Although the Supreme Court ruled benefits must be paid, CNBC reported Tuesday, Nov. 11, the administration was given a two-day pause to give Congress time to pass a short-term funding bill to reopen the government.
On Monday, Nov. 10, the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services announced it would take the necessary steps to distribute partial SNAP benefits as early as Wednesday, Nov. 12, and continue daily until complete in following federal guidance from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service (FNS).
Under the latest guidance, the state was instructed to reduce the maximum amount of benefits each household can receive this month by 35%, according to the announcement. Under the new calculations, nearly all recipients will receive less than 65% of their expected benefits.
Still, some recipients whose earnings may place their households near the eligibility cutoff for benefits may have not received any benefits at all this week, according to the announcement.
On Wednesday night, Nov. 12, the House passed a bill to end the shutdown, sending it to Trump for his approval, according to initial reporting from the Associated Press. By press time, it was still unclear when full benefits would officially be restored.
According to statewide data updated Nov. 11, there are currently 79,865 SNAP recipients in Butler County who are regularly allotted a sum of $13,218,039.
Last month, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine ordered the distribution of $7 million to eight regional foodbanks, as well as $18 million in emergency relief benefits. The closest food bank to Oxford to receive assistance is the Shared Harvest Foodbank, over 40 minutes away in Fairfield.
Still, Martin said she’s waiting for the assistance to eventually “trickle down” to TOPSS.
TOPSS is ‘here to help’
In the meantime, Martin said of TOPSS, “Our pantry is supposed to be a supplement to SNAP, so it was never meant to replace SNAP.”
“We’ve also just been busy with people like dropping by with food, dropping by with checks, checking in on us,” she said. “I do have faith that the community will step up and that people will take care of each other, but that doesn’t lessen the fact that we’ll be stretched.”
Overall, she said TOPSS saw a 90% increase in the number of people receiving services in the last week of October, as well as a spike in financial and food donations and volunteers. On Nov. 3, she said food drop-offs had doubled from the usual two to three people who stop by daily, but the pantry was still running low.
By press time Wednesday, Nov. 12, she said activity had “leveled off” a little, although it was still higher than average for this time of year, and many people are still signing up for assistance from TOPSS.
At the same time, she said TOPSS was notified it must now collect data on food insecurity in its coverage area for the state as the USDA is no longer collecting the data itself.
“I would say that we probably rely on about 10 (volunteers) every day that we’re open – just four days a week – and we can always use more,” Martin said of the pantry’s workload.
She said she has been receiving questions from those concerned about their SNAP benefits and having enough budgeted for bills.
“We’re trying to encourage everyone to, even if you haven’t been in the pantry for a while, come back, utilize the services that we have so that you can take your money and put it toward other things,” Martin said.
Nicola Rodrigues, director of social services at TOPSS, said people have reached out to the organization for rent assistance this month as a result of uncertainty surrounding SNAP benefits.
“If people are going to put their money towards food, we will probably see the effects on the need for rent and utilities coming up,” she said, adding applications, mainly for utility assistance, have increased in the past couple of months, although this usually occurs around the weather change as more people need heat.
Rodrigues said families should be aware, even with the shutdown and uncertainty concerning services, the Butler County Department of Job and Family Services (JFS) has remained open and is still taking applications for services. She said people should not hesitate to apply or renew so their information is already in as soon as funding comes through.
Rodrigues said a JFS representative is at TOPSS twice a month, on the first and third, and they will usually see around 10 people a day coming in to ask for assistance.
She said of TOPSS, “The pantry is open, and we are here to help with rent and utilities.”
