By D. Kevin McNeir
Special to the AFRO
kmcneir@afro.com
Roughly 42 million Americans who rely on SNAP benefits remain on edge, unsure if they will receive November payouts.
But they are not alone. Tens of thousands of furloughed or fired federal workers are also struggling to cover financial shortfalls so they can pay their bills and feed their families.
As a result, nonprofit food agencies in Washington, D.C., and Maryland find themselves overwhelmed with longer lines and limited amounts of food as they seek to fill in the gaps.
Organizations like Manna Food Center in Montgomery County, Md., and Martha’s Table, founded as a safe space for children to access after-school meals in D.C., admit that meeting the needs of anxious families remains a daily struggle. But they refuse to give up and have weathered storms before.
A spokesperson for Manna Food Center said “while meat and bread products are in short supply because of higher demand from both our monthly and newly registered clients, we are still working on behalf of our community, augmenting packages with more fresh fruit, vegetables and canned goods. Other items are more difficult to obtain given the surge in requests.”
When it first opened its doors in 1983 as a faith-based, centralized food bank, Manna served several hundred clients a month. Today, the organization, which relies on donations and volunteers, distributes more than 12,000 pounds of food daily, offers nutrition education, and in 2024, served 60,865 families.
Is the federal government promoting a false narrative?
In October, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins asserted that the Trump administration could not provide November SNAP benefits if the shutdown continued.
However, Sharon Parrott, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP) president and former Office of Management and Budget (OMB) official, said in a statement that Rollins was not only lying, but that the administration is legally required to use contingency reserves approved by Congress to fund benefits during a shutdown.
“The Administration has admitted that reserves are available and could and should have taken steps weeks ago to be ready to use these funds,” Pratt said in a CBPP press release. “Instead, it may choose not to use them in an effort to gain political advantage.”
“I know from experience that the federal government has the authority and the tools it needs during a shutdown to get these SNAP funds to families,” Parrot said. “Even at this late date, the professionals at the Department of Agriculture and in states can make this happen. And, to state the obvious, benefits that are a couple of days delayed are far more help to families than going without any help at all.”
Martha’s Table was founded in 1980 and is now headquartered in Ward 8 in Southeast D.C. According to a spokesperson the organization has served more than 30,000 families in 2025, and has long relied on the strength of the community – even when federal shutdowns occur.
“Since our founding, children have been our first priority, but we have since expanded services and resources, focusing on health and wellness and the needs of our seniors on the belief that strong communities are built by investing in people,” the spokesperson said. “Our doors remain open five days a week for walk-ins at our Lobby Market (located in DC Scholars Public Charter Building in Southeast) and you don’t have to be a resident of D.C. to receive the nutritious food we provide.”
Following significant cuts to the SNAP Program (SNAP) in a bill passed in July 2025, Sen. Angela Alsobrooks, D-Md., described the legislation as “cruel and callous” and a “betrayal of working-class Americans.”
She emphasized how families would have to make “tough decisions between trying to pay their bills and put food on the table.”
“When Republicans cut nutrition benefits for children, I kept thinking ‘How could you?’… I don’t know how they sleep at night knowing their constituents – children – will go to bed hungry because of these cuts,” said Alsobrooks, in a statement.
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore agreed with Alsobrooks, and in an October statement described the shutdown not as “gridlock” or “confusion,” but “cruelty.” He stressed that while the state would do everything it could to fill the gap, “no state can fully fill the gap” created by the federal government’s failure to fund critical benefits.
