To Help SNAP Recipients, Bookstores Set Up as Food Banks; The New York Times, November 11, 2025

Elizabeth A. Harris and Alexandra Alter, The New York Times ; To Help SNAP Recipients, Bookstores Set Up as Food Banks

"With federal funding for food stamps threatened, employees at a bookstore in Lincoln, Neb., went to their boss with an idea: If people were going hungry, maybe they could help.

Workers at the store, Sower Books, soon set up a food collection bin near the front door. Customers and neighbors brought in bags and boxes of groceries; others came to browse for books, saw the bin and returned later with their own donations. Within a week, the storage room was stuffed with close to 2,000 pounds of food.

Nearly out of storage space, the bookstore put out a call for drivers on social media, and earlier this month, customers volunteered their cars and pickup trucks to ferry boxed and canned goods to a food pantry across town. The store’s back room has since filled up again with donations. On Monday, staff members made another run to the pantry, delivering more than 830 pounds of food — enough for roughly 1,700 meals...

Tory Hall, Sower’s owner, said the food drive felt like a natural extension of the store’s role as a community gathering place, where people drop in to do puzzles, have coffee, attend a book club and snuggle with the store’s adoptable rescue cats. Many customers seemed grateful that Sower gave them an easy way to help, Hall said.

“We’re not sitting here sad that everything is burning,” Hall said. “We’re going to find a fire extinguisher.”"

Newsom Rips New Catholic Vance for Denying Food to Poor; The Daily Beast, November 9, 2025

Katie Francis , The Daily Beast; Newsom Rips New Catholic Vance for Denying Food to Poor

"Gavin Newsom called out Catholic convert JD Vance for failing to uphold one of the major tenets of his adopted faith.

The California governor asked how the vice president could “square the circle” of being Catholic while resisting all efforts to restore Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, reminding the Vance that feeding the poor is “fundamental to advancing God’s will.”

Speaking to Jake Tapper on State of the Union Sunday, lifelong Irish Catholic Newsom, 58, lectured on Vance, 41, on the foundational lessons of their shared faith, suggesting that the latter’s religion and actions didn’t quite add up.

“I mean, Old Testament, New Testament,” Newsom said. “What‘s the fundamental thing that connects every—I mean, from John to Matthew to Proverbs? It‘s this notion of hunger, feeding the poor, the sick, the tired, this... it‘s not an option, it‘s central to advancing God‘s will.”"

SNAP Benefits: Josh Shapiro’s Rebuke of JD Vance Goes Viral; Newsweek, November 8, 2025

Khaleda Rahman, Newsweek ; SNAP Benefits: Josh Shapiro’s Rebuke of JD Vance Goes Viral

"Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro’s scathing rebuke of Vice President JD Vance has gone viral on social media.

At a press conference on Friday, Shapiro was asked about Vance, who had called a court order that directed the Trump administration to fully fund the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) for November "absurd."

Shapiro, a Democrat, called Vance a “total phony” who “doesn’t give a damn about all Americans” and had turned his back on the Appalachian communities he once said he represented.

A clip of Shapiro’s comments garnered more than a million views after it was posted on X by the senior digital editor of the liberal Meidas Touch website...

Vance “rose to some prominence by writing a book about growing up in Appalachia, where there’s a whole lot of people who get SNAP," Shapiro said, referring to Vance's 2016 memoir, Hillbilly Elegy.

"He made millions of dollars on the backs of telling their stories, and then he turned his damn back on those very people who he likes to write about and claim as his own.”

Shapiro also said Vance’s stance runs counter to his Christian faith.

“He claims to be a person of faith. I know my Bible. And my Bible teaches us that we are to love thy neighbor and we are to feed the hungry,” Shapiro said."

Trump Administration Demands States ‘Undo’ Work to Send Full Food Stamps; The New York Times, November 9, 2025

Tony Romm, The New York Times ; Trump Administration Demands States ‘Undo’ Work to Send Full Food Stamps

[Kip Currier: Where are the corporations that can provide at least some of the monies that could contribute to food assistance efforts for people in need, but instead will soon subject us to weeks of obscenely expensive holiday-themed self-congratulatory ads telling us how much they really care about people and all the wonderful charitable things they do for the world?

Where are the American tech billionaires who with a fragment of their wealth could even temporarily fund SNAP benefits for the 40 million Americans who depend upon food aid to survive? At least three of them (Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, and Jeff Bezos) were at the November 8th James Bond-themed 70th birthday party for Kris Jenner hosted by Amazon's Bezos.

The individual and collective silence of American billionaires and companies speaks volumes about their priorities and allegiances.

That the nation with the highest GDP on the planet would subject its food insecure citizens to even one day without food aid is utter madness and indicative of the moral bankruptcy of those who have the most assets and the least to lose by sharing their good fortune with those who are less fortunate.]

[Excerpt]

"The Trump administration told states that they must “immediately undo” any actions to provide full food stamp benefits to low-income families, in a move that added to the chaos and uncertainty surrounding the nation’s largest anti-hunger program during the government shutdown.

The Agriculture Department issued the command late Saturday in a memo, which The New York Times later viewed. That guidance threatened to impose harsh financial penalties on states that did not “comply” quickly with the new federal orders.

The memo surprised, vexed and frustrated many state leaders, and by Sunday, some had begun to explore their legal options to prevent any further disruptions to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP. But the Trump administration held firm in its refusal to fund food stamps in full, telling a court in a strongly worded filing that states would be “responsible for the consequences” of their actions.

Caught in the middle were the roughly one in eight Americans who depend on monthly federal assistance to purchase groceries — aid that has been imperiled for days in a record-long shutdown. Multiple lawsuits to loosen that money remained unresolved, leaving many families at growing risk of hunger and financial hardship.

Some of the 42 million people enrolled in SNAP began to receive their full benefits on Friday, after a federal judge ordered the Trump administration to fully fund the program this month amid the shutdown. New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin were among states that raced to release the aid to residents, some of whom had been without nutrition assistance for days."

Down to $1.18: How Families Are Coping With SNAP Cuts; The New York Times, November 7, 2025

Eric Adelson, Mary Beth Gahan, Sean Keenan, Lourdes Medrano, Christina MoralesSonia A. Rao, Dan Simmons and Kevin Williams, The New York Times; Down to $1.18: How Families Are Coping With SNAP Cuts

"In New Jersey, a single mother struggled to figure out how to feed her two young sons with $50.

In Oklahoma, a 61-year-old woman questioned whether driving to a food pantry was worth the gas money.

And in Colorado, a woman grabbed food from a Walmart dumpster.

For the 42 million people who rely on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, the country’s largest anti-hunger program, it has been a chaotic, nerve-racking week.

Because of the government shutdown, the Trump administration initially sought to stop supplying benefits. Lawsuits and court rulings and a Trump appeals created further confusion. By Friday, the Supreme Court paused an order from a federal judge that would have required the White House to fully fund the program.

For many recipients, the legal battle meant one thing: a search for sustenance.

The New York Times asked dozens of SNAP recipients over the past week how they were coping. In interviews, they talked about the confusion and anxiety, as well as the hard choices. Here are some of their stories."

The Tull Family Foundation donated a large sum of money and over 1,300 pounds of meat and produce to the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank; The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, November 7, 2025

LINDSAY SHACHNOW , The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette; The Tull Family Foundation donated a large sum of money and over 1,300 pounds of meat and produce to the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank

"A delivery of more than 1,300 pounds of meat and produce to the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank on Thursday came as the Tull Family Foundation stepped up to help out amid an ongoing government shutdown that has left millions across Pennsylvania without access to food assistance.

The food bank, which works in more than 10 counties in southwestern Pennsylvania, estimates a hefty food and monetary donation from the foundation founded by Thomas and Alba Tull will provide more than 150,000 meals to people in need.

The contribution from the foundation tied to the billionaire minority owner of the Steelers reflects a surge in efforts across the community and the country to keep food supplies flowing to those in need. 

On Nov. 1, SNAP cards used by 2 million Pennsylvanians to supplement their grocery budgets were emptied as a result of the shutdown of the federal government. Local food banks — which are designed to provide added support to people receiving SNAP benefits — have been overwhelmed."

Episcopal churches, food pantries prepare to aid 42 million Americans on food assistance; Episcopal News Service (ENS), October 30, 2025

Melodie Woerman, Episcopal News Service (ENS); Episcopal churches, food pantries prepare to aid 42 million Americans on food assistance

 "Food ministries across The Episcopal Church have been offering aid to federal workers furloughed or working without pay since the Oct. 1 start of the government shutdown, and they are also gearing up to help even more people if food assistance benefits for an estimated 42 million Americans run out on Nov. 1.

Nourishing Bethesda, a nonprofit that began five years ago as an outreach ministry of St. John’s Norwoodin Chevy Chase, Maryland, already has seen an increase in the number of people seeking food help, executive director John Ross told Episcopal News Service. That largely is because many furloughed and unpaid federal workers are in metro-Washington, D.C...

Here are ways other churches are working to provide food to those who need it, based on replies to ENS queries across various platforms:

• St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church in Richmond, Virginia, is asking members to contribute more items to its food pantry, which is open weekly. It also provides bags of groceries to people who can’t get to the pantry and to people served by Virginia Supportive Housing, a local nonprofit. It also offers a weekly farmer’s market.
• St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Jamestown, New York, is partnering with the Jamestown Farmers Market to provide $15 in market vouchers, up to $60 per family, for SNAP recipients and unpaid and furloughed federal workers. The effort has provided more than $7,000 in assistance so far. The church also is providing space in its building this winter for the market, beginning Nov. 1.
• St. Columba’s Episcopal Church in Kent, Washington, is gearing up to double the amount of food in its food bank, while awaiting word on whether the state will extend benefits beginning Nov. 1. If needed, Good Shepherd Episcopal Church in Federal Way, Washington, will provide additional volunteers for St. Columba’s food minstry.
• St. Francis Episcopal Church, Stamford, Connecticut, is setting up a financial “virtual food drive” to support Connecticut Foodshare, the local affiliate of Feeding America.
• St. John’s Cathedral in Jacksonville, Florida, already asks parishioners to bring a bag of groceries to church each week but is encouraging them to increase the amount of food they bring.
• St. John’s Episcopal Church in New Braunfels, Texas, is providing parishioners with an Amazon Wish List of items needed by the local food bank. Items will be shipped to the church for delivery in bulk, taking a load off food bank workers.
• Emmanuel Episcopal Church in Hastings, Michigan, is planning to buy gift cards for the Thanksgiving meal the supermarket chain Aldi is offering. They also are hoping to provide a sack of groceries to guests at their Saturday community breakfast.
• Christ Church in Bloomfield & Glen Ridge, New Jersey, is providing special donation boxes made by parish children to help people who are food insecure. It also has added “SNAP Aid” to its online giving options.
• St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, Arlington, Virginia, is asking everyone attending the parish annual meeting Nov. 2 to bring food for the local food pantry. In addition, undesignated offerings that day will benefit the pantry. The church also will be launching a “food and fund” drive to run through January, which the pantry reports is its hardest month.
• Church of the Holy Communion in Memphis, Tennessee, is hoping to expand its annual Advent canned-ham drive to a ham-plus effort to collect hearty soups, canned meals and more.
• St. Philip’s Episcopal Church, Durham, North Carolina, is asking members to bring more food than usual for donation to Urban Ministries of Durham, the local shelter and food pantry the church helped found years ago.
• St. Mary’s Episcopal Church in Barnstable, Massachusetts, is continuing its food efforts – preparing and serving meals at local sites and helping to provide 300 Thanksgiving meals – as the rector, the Rev. Michael Horvath, encouraged all parishioners to explore how they could do more in light of the expected loss of SNAP benefits, asking “What can we offer that makes love tangible?”"