(White Plains, NY) – With federal SNAP benefits set to end on Saturday, November 1st, and no relief in sight, Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins announced an emergency allocation of $50,000 from the Department of Social Services (DSS) budget to Feeding Westchester.
“The SNAP funding cuts are a choice made by President Trump and the Republican majorities in the Senate and the House. There was a plan to continue funding SNAP that was recently removed from the USDA website. Families across Westchester are facing an unimaginable hardship. We cannot — and will not — allow our neighbors to go hungry. This emergency funding will help Feeding Westchester and our local food pantries step up in this moment of crisis to make sure no one in our community is left behind,” CE Jenkins shared with Black Westchester.
Feeding Westchester Chief Operating Officer Tami Wilson said, “I can’t imagine the stress and anxiety our neighbors are feeling right now with the loss of federal paychecks and the uncertainty of SNAP benefits not being funded in just a few days. To worry about where your next meal will come from, especially as we approach a holiday centered on food, gratitude, love, and family, is something no one should ever have to face. We are so fortunate to have unyielding support and partnership from our community in the fight against hunger, with the County Executive and Westchester County Government right at the center.”
Westchester County Social Services Commissioner Leonard Townes said: “This is a time of great uncertainty for tens of thousands of vulnerable families in Westchester facing the real threat of hunger. We hope the federal government will do the right thing and use contingency funds for their designed purpose – to help people in need keep food on the table. But we can’t count on that. I’m proud that our County Executive is stepping up to do what we can to help our partners at Feeding Westchester and local food pantries try to fill this needless gap.”
The emergency funds will enable Feeding Westchester to expand food distribution immediately, prioritizing high-need areas where SNAP benefits have had the greatest impact. The emergency funds will help ensure local food pantries can continue to distribute food at no cost to them, meeting the growing needs of families suddenly left without federal support.
Residents in need of food assistance can visit feedingwestchester.org to locate a nearby pantry or meal program.
