WALLER COUNTY, Texas – Thousands of Texas families could soon lose access to the food assistance they depend on. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the federal agency that funds the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), says there is not enough money to pay for full November benefits if the government shutdown continues past the end of October.
Across the Houston area, more than 900,000 people rely on SNAP benefits to help buy groceries. For roughly 70,000 families in rural areas, that loss could be devastating — pushing many to already strained food pantries like Helping Hands in Waller County.
Food pantries already feeling the strain
At Helping Hands, volunteers say the challenges started months ago.
“One of the first effects we’ve felt, which was about six months ago, the (Houston) Food Bank cut out a thing called a ‘mobile pantry’ that we get,” said Tim Chipman, who runs Helping Hands in Waller County. “That is about 10,000 pounds of produce a month that we were giving out to the public. That is gone.”
Chipman says the organization has already seen significant losses in food supply.
“We’ve been seeing a tightening of the belt because of the loss of what is, I think about $1.5 million worth of produce and all the stuff that used to come through USDA-- its no longer,” he said.
Now, the potential SNAP pause represents what Chipman calls “the third wave” of hardship for rural Texans.
“Now SNAP is changing. And now I’m gonna get the third wave of this,” he said. “So it’s not just the SNAP, it’s the waves of everything that’s been failing because of all the changes in the government.”
Demand expected to double
Helping Hands currently serves about 200 families a month — roughly 500 people — in Waller County. But Chipman expects that number could double if SNAP benefits are paused in November.
“I’m going to have a lot of them showing up towards the end of the month, looking for more food, especially with Thanksgiving coming,” Chipman said. “That is gonna be a major impact.”
Rural communities hit the hardest
Rural areas like Liberty, Montgomery, and Wharton counties are expected to feel the biggest effects, as children between the ages of five and 17 make up the population most affected by changing SNAP benefits. Chipman says that’s over half of his clients.
“They talk about food deserts — we kind of live in one,” he said. “We don’t have any other programs around us. There isn’t any shelters, there isn’t help for the homeless. Part of the problem with rural is I don’t have six churches in a six-block area that are trying to help.”
When asked how he plans to respond if the SNAP pause happens, Chipman was direct:
“Feed who I can. I don’t have any other answers at this stage.”
Looming congressional action
Congressman Al Green said Thursday that there are no indications lawmakers could move to reopen the government next week, as the House will be closed.
Until then, food pantry leaders and families across Texas are bracing for what could be one of the toughest months of the year — just as the holiday season begins.