Thursday, October 1, 2026
On Saturday, 184,000 Long Islanders across nearly every ZIP code in Nassau and Suffolk counties woke up without the food assistance they rely on to feed their families. Forty-eight hours later, under public pressure, the Trump administration announced that it would fund just half of the $100 billion Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
The federal government shutdown has done the once unthinkable, gutting SNAP and leaving 42 million Americans — one in eight — wondering where their next meal will come from. SNAP, commonly known as food stamps, helps low-income families buy groceries with electronic payment cards.
Our Long Island neighbors who participate in SNAP — working families, children, seniors and people with disabilities — receive an average of $187 per month to put food on the table. That’s for a full month. For their full families. Roughly 3 million people in New York rely on food stamps. They now face impossible choices between meals, rent and medicine.
In an extraordinary display of community compassion, restaurants across Long Island and around the nation have stepped up to offer free meals to families who have lost their food stamp benefits. These acts of generosity exemplify the best of community, reminding us that when Washington fails, ordinary Americans will take care of one another, because compassion — like hunger — isn’t a partisan issue.
Gov. Kathy Hochul has declared a state of emergency, and committed $65 million in new state funds to emergency food assistance, which will provide 40 million meals through food banks and pantries. SNAP recipients should continue submitting required documentation to their local Department of Social Services, because benefits will hopefully be paid retroactively when federal funding resumes.
Locally, Island Harvest and Long Island Cares continue to serve food-insecure families across Nassau and Suffolk counties. This self-inflicted crisis hits at the worst possible time, in the weeks before Thanksgiving, one of the busiest periods for food banks, while federal workers remain without paychecks due to the ongoing shutdown. Food banks are preparing for unprecedented stress that will be felt in communities everywhere.
We’re grateful for the compassion shown by restaurants and businesses that are stepping forward to feed their neighbors. We’re thankful for the tireless work of our food banks. These extraordinary acts of kindness demonstrate the strength of our communities when we support one another. But private charity, no matter how generous, cannot replace a federal program serving more people than the population of many countries. If demand skyrockets, local food pantries may have to reduce distribution portions and limit the frequency with which people can receive food. Families that have never needed help before — in every Long Island community — are about to discover what food insecurity feels like.
And the economic ripple effects extend beyond hungry families. Food stamps generate $1.54 in economic activity for every dollar spent. This suspension hurts businesses, employees and entire communities from one end of the Island to the other. As well, hungry children will struggle to learn and behave. With many classrooms likely to have students on food stamps, the SNAP suspension will impact learning in schools across America.
Long Island will rise to this challenge, caused by Washington’s dereliction of duty, because that’s who Long Islanders are. The restaurants opening their doors to feed families in need, the food banks working overtime, the people becoming grocery buddies to help strangers buy food — these are the stories that define us.
But we must also demand accountability. The shutdown must end. Food stamps must be fully funded. And every elected official who played politics with families’ ability to eat must answer to voters.
