BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — A pandemic lifeline that so many Western New Yorkers rely on will come to an end after February. At the beginning of the pandemic, recipients were receiving emergency allotments of $95 or more in monthly benefits. Congress temporarily increased these benefits because of Covid-19, but after February's payment, that emergency allotment will end.
The allotment automatically gave families and individuals the maximum amount of benefits for their household size for grocery shopping. If a family of four, for example, qualified for $400/month before the pandemic, then this program gave them an additional $539. Now, that extra assistance is set to end by March 1st.
Catherine Shick, public relations manager with FeedMore WNY, said SNAP benefits are so crucial for so many Western New Yorkers.
"There are a lot of people who are facing food insecurity in our community who will continue to need help," Shick said.
She said these emergency allotments are helping people make ends meet.
"People will be receiving their regular snap benefit amounts and that's going to be a drastic difference for so many people in our community," she said, "SNAP is the first line of defense against hunger."
According to Shick, as of May 2022, more than 210,000 relied on snap benefits in FeedMore's service area which spans across Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie, and Niagara counties.
"So when there is a dramatic reduction in SNAP like the ones that are coming with the end of the emergency allotment benefits, we know that so many more people are going to be turning to charitable food assistance," Shick said.
Shick said FeedMore is ready to support snap recipients now more than ever. Kelly Shanahan, a care coordinator and community outreach program coordinator with Rural Outreach Center, said they are ready for the influx of people too.
"We're gonna see a lot more families and individuals reaching out to the local food banks," Shanahan said.
Shanahan said people who only receive a minimum benefit will be seriously impacted.
"For example, older individuals only receiving a minimum benefit normally for snap are going to go from $281 a month down to $23," she said.
Until then, Shanahan and Shick said if you need support, their services are there for you. The following resources below can help you if you have any questions regarding SNAP benefits or see if you are qualified for an increase in benefits:
