As SNAP funds expire, Kansas Food Bank & other organizations ask for these items
Editor’s note, 1:44 p.m. Oct. 31: In a bench ruling out of Rhode Island, a federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to pay federal nutrition benefits to millions of Americans amid the government shutdown using emergency funds. It wasn’t immediately clear if and when SNAP benefits will proceed.
With Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients set to lose benefits beginning in November, the Kansas Food Bank, as well as other food pantries across Sedgwick County, are preparing to help a greater number of residents facing food insecurity.
Six percent of Kansas residents rely on SNAP benefits, formerly called food stamps, every month, or about 188,000 people across the state, according to Brian Walker, the president and CEO of Kansas Food Bank.
But with 1 in 7 Kansans in need of food, only about 55% of residents who are food insecure qualify for SNAP benefits.
“That number has been large before we started talking about SNAP cuts,” Walker said in a Tuesday morning news conference held at the food bank, located at 1919 E. Douglas Ave.
The planned SNAP benefit cuts come as the federal government enters week four of a shutdown after Congress failed to pass a spending plan. The U.S. Department of Agriculture confirmed SNAP benefits will not be issued beginning Saturday, Nov. 1, saying the funding has “run dry.”
The USDA told USA Today the agency’s contingency funds are insufficient to cover the benefits, issued to more than 40 million Americans each month, a contradiction to an earlier plan issued in September.
With the expected increased demand beginning next week, organizations in the county that fight hunger are relying on community support to get through what Walker called a “rough patch.”
“Common sense says that [when] these people … lose their SNAP benefits, we’re going to see increased demands at our pantries, our soup kitchens and maybe even our shelters and those kinds of places in the state of Kansas,” Walker said.
There are three ways Walker is asking the public to help: monetary donations, volunteering or grocery donations.
“We’re not asking for a whole lot, we’re just asking for a little bit to get us through what appears to be might be a rough patch,” Walker said.
Ways to help Sedgwick County food banks, pantries and more
Traci Kennedy, the executive director of Catholic Charities of Wichita, said while she’s not yet sure what to expect next week, the charity has already seen an uptick of people seeking help.
“Just this last quarter, we saw 200 more families than we did the quarter before,” Kennedy said.
The charity has been preparing for the possibility of increased demand since the beginning of the year.
“We’re going to prepare as best we can. We’re going to seek out our partners and ask for more ... food donations. We’re going to ask for some monetary help so we can buy some more food. So we’re going to do exactly what we do now, and just hopefully more of it,” Kennedy said.
Monetary donations are a specific need.
“We can actually buy $7 worth of food for $1 here at the Kansas food bank, so that’s huge for us,” Kennedy said.
People who are interested in hosting a food drive can call Catholic Charities, which will provide them a tool kit.
“It’s helpful to know in advance when people are wanting to do something for us,” Kennedy said.
Catholic Charities is also in need of volunteers for the Our Daily Bread Food Pantry, which is open three days a week from 8:30 a.m. to noon at 2825 S. Hillside. The pantry also has a drop-off box outside for people to donate what they can.
Emily Thome, the director of The Lord’s Diner, located at 520 N. Broadway, said that organization has also seen less funding in general ahead of the SNAP cuts.
“We normally do receive federal USDA commodities … in the last six months. We haven’t received it three out of the six, so we are being hit both ways,” Thome said.
The Lord’s Diner usually sees an uptick of people in its dining room at the end of every month as benefits run out. Thome said while those numbers usually fall at the beginning of the month, organizers do not expect that to be the case in November.
That organization could use monetary donations and food items — specifically grocery items in bulk, Thome noted, and is also always in search of volunteers.
“What we ask that people don’t do is come to our parking lots … and try to feed people themselves,” Thome said. “We would like your support and your partnership, whether it’s coming and volunteering at our locations, whether it’s donating money or food items … but we are responsible for food safety, and we just want to make sure that everyone’s being fed safe.”
This story was originally published October 28, 2025 at 11:56 AM.
