We understand that many of our neighbors who rely on SNAP benefits have not yet received their assistance this month. It has been confirmed that recipients will see reduced November benefits due to emergency funds being reallocated — however, it remains unclear as to when families can expect to receive these benefits.

We know how devastating and stressful this situation is for families already managing rising grocery costs, utilities, and other daily expenses.

As a result, we expect that many community members will be turning to local food pantries for help — some for the first time — and we want to be honest and transparent about what that means.

Our food pantries were never designed to serve as a stopgap for a government food program. Even before this SNAP interruption, our pantry was operating at full capacity — serving new households every day. This comes at a time when we have already been facing federal funding cuts, since January, that have directly impacted our food budgets.

While we will continue doing everything we can to help our neighbors, we anticipate that we will not have the resources to assist everyone who seeks help at this time.

We ask for your understanding and patience as our team and partners work to support as many families as possible. Our commitment remains strong, but our resources are limited.

If you are in a position to help, please consider donating to support our efforts. Your monetary contributions go directly toward the purchase of food — and because we have long-standing relationships with local wholesalers, farms, and markets, we’re able to stretch every dollar further to bring more food to more families.

Your donations also give us the flexibility to respond quickly, allowing us to purchase what’s needed most each week. Food needs change constantly — based on available inventory at the food bank and our storage capacities — and your generosity allows us to pivot and fill those gaps in real time.

We know many families are coming to us with hope in their hearts, and while we may not be able to help everyone in the way they expect, please know that we remain focused — as always — on helping as many of our neighbors as we possibly can.

Thank you for standing with us, for believing in this community, and for continuing to support our mission to provide food to those in need of assistance.

With gratitude,
Your friends at The Charity Guild