As residents reel amid disruptions to the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, local Edmond nonprofits are rising to meet increased demand in the community. Organizations such as Project 66 and Breakfast on Boulevard have been forced to increase food purchases to account for an influx of patrons seeking assistance.
The ongoing government shutdown has already tied the record for the longest in U.S. history, and it may hold that title on its own if a federal funding agreement is not reached by Wednesday. The deadlock has furloughed thousands of employees nationwide, caused flight delays owing to air traffic controller and TSA agent staffing shortages and left 42 million Americans who depend on SNAP benefits striving to find food elsewhere.
Friday, two federal judges ruled that President Donald Trump’s administration must continue to pay for SNAP benefits through the shutdown, a cost of $8 billion annually funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The timeline of distribution for those funds is unclear, meaning many Americans may still feel the brunt of the disruption.
In Providence, Rhode Island, U.S. District Judge John J. McConnell ruled in a case brought by cities and nonprofits that at least contingency funds must be used. In a similar Boston, Massachusetts case, U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani also ruled for the use of contingency funds. Both judges requested answers by Monday.
However, Trump announced via a defiant Truth Social post Tuesday that SNAP benefits would be withheld until the shutdown ends, despite those court rulings.
In Oklahoma, one in six residents relies on SNAP, among the highest rates in the United States. Edmond resident Kaysie Billey is among those who supplement their food access with the federal program.
“When they told everybody we weren’t going to get SNAP — there was a potential that we wouldn’t get SNAP in November — everybody panicked. With four kids, there’s six people in my household, and that’s a lot,” Billey said.
Although the Oklahoma Department of Human Services announced that funds in EBT accounts could still be used past Nov. 1, Billey said her family had already spent the money in preparation for the program being suspended.
“They told us to prepare, and they didn’t give us enough time to be prepared,” Billey said. “They pretty much set us up for failure here.”
Billey said her family has been forced to dip into contingency funds for other essentials to pay for food.
“I want to support my kids. And unfortunately, we live in a time where the cost of living is higher than our minimum wage. And when that happens, we already have a hard time affording our place to live,” Billey said. “As of right now, I’m in disconnect with my utility company. I’m in jeopardy of getting my electricity turned off because I’ve had to buy food before I go to the food pantries. We’re basically at a point where we’re having to choose between housing and utilities, or feeding our kids.”
While her own stress level is high, Billey said she fears the ramifications for senior citizens and other more vulnerable people as well.
“Nobody needs to go hungry,” she said.
Other community members are trying to step up and support those facing uncertainty over SNAP access. Haleigh Dean, a mother of two who works at a daycare center and is in the video production program at Francis Tuttle, said members of the All Things Edmond Facebook group have brought her some pantry items.
“I don’t make a lot as a daycare teacher,” Dean said. “Having [SNAP] was very helpful. [The shutdown has] definitely made things a little harder. (…) After I finish school, I want to be able to not rely on it.”
Breakfast on Boulevard: Serving sandwiches and sausage to anyone in need
Before most of Edmond wakes up each weekday morning, volunteers for Breakfast on Boulevard arrive at First Christian Church by 5 a.m. to prepare warm meals for their neighbors in need. At that hour, the sun is still sleeping and traffic down Broadway is at a lull.
Although formal food service time runs from 6:30 a.m. to 7:15 a.m., the church’s doors sometimes open early so patrons can keep warm on chilly days like Wednesday, Oct. 29. With the sun beginning to glow in the east, patrons entered the basement of the church through a staircase on its west side.
Vicki Snow, a member at First Christian Church, has volunteered with Breakfast on Boulevard for 23 years. When she started serving, Snow and her daughter packed sack lunches, which are provided as to-go meals after breakfast. Now she helps purchase, prepare and serve food on Monday mornings.
While many nonprofits are bracing for an influx of clients owing to SNAP benefits sunsetting Nov. 1, Snow said Breakfast on Boulevard had already experienced an increase in patrons over the last two months, from an average of 20 each morning to about 60.
“I think it’s just word of mouth on the street,” Snow speculated on the reason for the increase. “I think it’s the economy, you know? Everything is really high. I just think they need an extra little help with their food.”
Wednesday, the menu included french toast and sausage, which one patron praised as “divine.” In the dining room, patrons sat quietly, some with warm coffees in hand. Snow said that, on Monday, one patron had brought in banana split-flavored coffee. Not a coffee drinker, Snow did not partake, but she honored the man’s request.
“He said, ‘I’ll give this to y’all, if you’ll make some for me.’ So we made a part of it. He loved it,” Snow said.
In addition to hot breakfasts, volunteers sent out 46 packed lunches before locking the door Wednesday. Snow said Breakfast on Boulevard operates on about $1,000 a week and receives funding from community donations.
Rodney Chambers, a regular patron of Breakfast on Boulevard, commented on his challenges with food insecurity — a struggle only facing more Americans as the government shutdown lingers.
“You can’t live off just peanut butter and jelly and bologna all the time. You just can’t,” Chambers said.
‘We’re buying food by the pallet’
At 9:15 a.m. Wednesday, the doors of Project 66 Food & Resource Center were not set to open for another 45 minutes, but clients were already starting to gather in the outer lobby to claim numbers and their place in line for grocery shopping. Some stepped in, took a number and then left. Others occupied the benches in the small space.
Those waiting inside sat quietly as the Oklahoma wind blew fiercely beyond the glass enclosure. Nearing 9:30 a.m., volunteers appeared on the other side of the locked door. One client referred to the volunteer behind the door as “the gatekeeper,” while another chimed in to say how nice and helpful the woman is.
As more clients trickled into the lobby, they fought the wind to hold the door open for each other, with some of those sitting on benches offering their seats to the disabled or elderly. Once the doors opened, clients entered the waiting room and were called to a resource cubicle.
“We go through what other resources they might need,” explained Neil Tate, the executive director of Project 66. ‘Other food places, clothing, rent and utilities, medical care, dental, vision — all that stuff. Since we’re a faith-based organization, we offer to pray with each client if they would like for us to pray with them.”
After their consultation, each client is guided through the market by a volunteer who explains how many items from each section they can choose. On Oct. 29, clients spoke highly of their opportunity to choose what items their families would enjoy most as opposed to a box of pre-selected items.
“We try to get as many clients in here to choose what is best for their family, so we have volunteers that push carts for every single client,” Tate said.
Kimberly Gonzaque said Wednesday was her first time visiting Project 66, as economic and medical hardships mount.
“My hours got cut back at work, and my boyfriend had a brain tumor and had to have surgery. Now he’s on disability,” Gonzaque said.
Clients who visit Project 66 make selections according to household size.
“We hope to increase the choices that they can select from each shelf, starting next week through the rest of the shutdown,” Tate said. “We’re not set up to provide groceries for a family for the entire month, but we will try to fill the gap for people without SNAP for sure.”
Tate said Project 66 is supported by the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma, grants and donations from the community. To that end, the state Contingency Review Board — comprised of Gov. Kevin Stitt, House Speaker Kyle Hilbert (R-Bristow) and Senate President Pro Tempore Lonnie Paxton (R-Tuttle) — voted late Monday to begin disbursing $1 million a week to help nonprofit food pantries increase their capacity during the shutdown.
Based on the populations of their service areas, the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma is set to receive two-thirds of the $1 million allocations from the Department of Human Services, while the Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma will receive one-third, a spokeswoman for Hilbert explained. The funds are expected to trickle down to local groups, like Project 66.
For the general public, Tate said the best way to help right now is by offering funds to their community food pantries.
“We’re buying food by the pallet, and we’re buying food by the truckload,” Tate said. “A lot of people prefer to just bring us food, and that’s totally fine, we’ll take it. But to really make a dent in the need for food and our inventory, it’s going to be buying in bulk.”
