Many plates in St. Louis could be empty beginning November 1 when Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits are halted because of the ongoing government shutdown.
The U.S. Senate debate on a government funding bill remains stalled as Democrats refuse to vote in favor of a stop-gap bill unless healthcare benefits are preserved in the nation’s overall budget.
Republicans refuse to yield, and the result could be widespread hunger.
The Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis, with assistance from partners including the United Way of Greater St. Louis and the St. Louis Area Foodbank, is taking action to help feed over 300,000 area residents who rely on SNAP benefits for food and toiletries.
The Urban League will hold large-scale food-distribution events from noon to 3 p.m. on November 8 and 15, both are Saturdays.
The Urban League’s annual holiday turkey and food giveaway will take place on Tuesday November 25, two days before Thanksgiving.
“On Nov. 1, we will face a humanitarian crisis,” Michael P. McMillan, Urban League president and CEO said on Monday.
“This will create a huge void for the Urban League and partners, including churches and non-profits, to fill. We are all trying to add more food to distribution points.”
The Urban League’s distribution, like the events held in the weeks following the May 16, 2025, tornado, will be held at its1408 N. Kingshighway headquarters.
Should the Senate approve a government funding bill or find resources to support the SNAP program in the coming week “it is almost inevitable” that the benefits will be halted during November, McMillan said.
“This is the worst time for this to happen,” said McMillan regarding the proximity to the holiday season.
Single mothers with children comprise the largest group of SNAP benefits recipients, and the Urban League “has already received significant cuts” from USDA funding which could be used to stock shelves of food pantries.
“This is a storm on top of the (May 16) storms,” said McMillan. “This is a man-made disaster, and it is just complicating everything once again.”
State Rep. Ray Reed and other Democrats are urging Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe to follow a path laid by his fellow Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin of Virginia who declared a state of emergency to expedite food assistance and bolster food banks.
“The governor has both the authority and the responsibility to help,” Reed said in a release.
“When politics fail, government still has a sacred duty to protect the people it serves. Every child who goes to bed hungry, every parent forced to skip a meal to feed their family — that’s a failure of leadership we can prevent, if we choose to act.”
According to the Missouri Department of Social Services, more than 326,000 Missouri households rely on SNAP benefits. Nationally, that number tops 40 million.
As first reported by Axios, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said in an October 24 memo that the agency’s contingency fund cannot legally be used to provide food assistance benefits for more than 42 million people in November
In addition, states would not be reimbursed if they used their own funds to cover the cost of the benefits.
The Missouri Independent reported that the Missouri Department of Social Services (DSS) confirmed that there is not sufficient funding for the benefits, which are 100% federally funded through the USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service.
“DSS officials have stated that benefits will resume as soon as federal funds become available and are encouraging SNAP recipients to stretch their remaining October benefits as much as possible,” according to the report
How St. Louisans can help
McMillan is encouraging anyone who wants to support the food distribution effort financially to visit www.ulstl.com, the Urban League website, “to make a donation of any size.”
Non-perishable food items can also be donated at the Urban League headquarters.
Operation Food Search (OFS), City Foundry, and other partners will hold a food drive at the Foundry from 5:30 to 8 p.m. Wednesday October 29, and food collection has begun at The Foundry.
Donation barrels are available throughout City Foundry (3730 Foundry Way) for guests to drop off food and essential items. On Wednesday, donations will be collected via a drive-through operation at the roundabout accessed from Vandeventer.
All collected goods will go directly to Operation Food Search, which will manage on-site pickup and delivery back to its Lotsie Boulevard facility for regional distribution with the help of volunteers recruited by City Foundry tenants and Food Drive partners.
“90% of the food assistance people receive comes from programs like SNAP,” said Kristen V. Wild, president and CEO of Operation Food Search. “We will need significant help from the community to fill that gap.”
Most Needed Items
Please, no glass containers or ramen noodles
- Pop-top cans are especially appreciated
- Light tuna or salmon (canned or packaged)
- Canned chicken or meat
- Soup, chili, or stews with meat and beans (“a meal in a can”)
- Canned fruit (in natural juices)
- Diced tomatoes or tomato paste
- Canned spaghetti sauces (low sodium preferred)
- Canned beans (low sodium preferred)
- Instant brown rice
- Whole-wheat pasta
- Boxed meal kits
- Canned vegetables
- Dried spices (chili powder, garlic powder, cumin, oregano, basil)
- Deodorant, toothbrushes, and toothpaste
I am 70 and my friend is 68, we are on Food Stamps. How can I ensure on Nov.25, we can get a turkey etc? Thank you
Is there any way the urban league can distribute the food to more than one site on Saturdays so that these lines will not be so long. I suggest possible empty lots on different days in neighborhoods like Aldi parking lot on Delmar, Schnucks parking lot on Lindell. That line is forever around the block and out of the way. I live closer to schnucks. You just cant stand in a line forming out down page and kingshighway very unsafe. We appreciate the food distribution from the urban league but on saturdays that it is distributed I think there should be at least 3 locations in order to cut down on traffic and convience for older people. Just burning up gas in that line for over an hour is a lot.
Hello I would like to kno the next food giveaway for urban league big drive giveaway