The cutoff of a major federal food program will limit options in an increasingly hungry Omaha community. Mayor John Ewing and nonprofit leaders are looking to get ahead of it.
Ewing partnered with the Food Bank for the Heartland, Community Alliance and other city leaders Wednesday to call for food and monetary donations. The plea for aid comes amid a pause to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, due to the ongoing government shutdown.
Nearly 155,000 Nebraskans relied on SNAP in 2024.
“Too many Omahans are facing food insecurity right now,” Ewing said. “We will do whatever we can to help feed our neighbors. I ask fellow Omahan’s to dig into their wallets and kitchens to help, and we will do our part as a city.”
The City of Omaha will donate $45,000 to the Food Bank for the Heartland and will organize a weeklong collection at recreation sites around the city.
The USDA notified the state that federally funded SNAP benefits for November will be delayed if the government shutdown continues into next month, according to a statement from the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services.
Current SNAP recipients can continue to use any remaining benefits on their EBT cards. Unspent SNAP funds will remain accessible for nine months from the date of last use.
“While November SNAP benefit issuances may be delayed, DHHS staff remain ready to assist Nebraskans by accepting and processing applications, recertifications, and reported changes,” said Shannon Grotrian, director of the Office of Economic Assistance.
The pause of SNAP benefits exacerbates an already challenging reality for local food and service providers.
Since 2018, the Food Bank for the Heartland has seen a fourfold increase in the number of households assisted by food pantries. In the past year, the agency has seen a 6.5% increase in people served, but an 11% reduction in resources, said Tim Williams, government affairs and advocacy officer with Food Bank for the Heartland.
In recent months, tens of thousands of pounds of expected food items never made it to the Food Bank for the Heartland in Omaha. The canceled deliveries were a result of recent cuts to the Emergency Food Assistance Program.
“We have been no stranger to federal funding challenges,” Williams said. “Over the last year, we’ve seen rollbacks in federal funding that have supported our food resources and commodity lines, and now we are anticipating even stronger need with upcoming rollbacks and reductions.”