'Every little bit helps' as Montco residents feel loss of SNAP benefits amid federal government shutdown
Thousands of Montgomery County residents went to the polls to cast their ballots on Election Day, but they didn’t come empty handed.
An abundance of nonperishable items were collected at polling places across Montgomery County to help people impacted by the loss of food assistance amid the ongoing federal government shutdown, now the longest in U.S. history.
“The response is so overwhelming that we haven’t been able to quantify the full impact yet,” said Montgomery County Democratic Committee Executive Director Chris Thomas.
The government shutdown has resulted in cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, which effectively ran dry over the weekend. While a federal judge ruled Friday the Trump Administration must use contingency funds for benefits, Montgomery County Commissioners’ Vice Chairwoman Jamila Winder voiced concern for area residents impacted by the stalemate and uncertainty.
“These are parents, these are seniors, these are working people, and most importantly, children, our neighbors, who are already doing everything they can to make ends meet,” she said during an Oct. 23 board meeting.
Montgomery County commissioners designated $500,000 in emergency food assistance Friday. In addition, Thomas said he saw an opportunity to engage with voters outside of polling places and solicit food donations.
The collection effort was deemed “Operation Feeding Hope.”
“It just kind of caught like wildfire,” Thomas said of the initiative, which “show[ed] that our neighbors and members in the community want to get out and do something good for their fellow neighbors.”
Items brought to the polls for donation included baking ingredients, canned goods, cereal, fruit and apple sauce, granola bars, pasta, soup, tomato sauce, as well as paper towels and hygiene products. Boxes were situated at tables outside polling places across Montgomery County.
“I’m hoping this whole box gets full and somebody else gives me a box, and I get to be able to fill that,” said Cathleen Pagano, a candidate for Lower Gwynedd Township auditor.
Pagano said around people donated throughout the day at the polling place outside the Wissahickon School District administration building in Lower Gwynedd Township.
Each of the Montgomery County Democratic Committee’s local committees selected a food pantry for the donations, including the Patrician Society, Martha’s Choice Marketplace and Mattie Dixon Community Cupboard. Referring to the Ambler-based Mattie Dixon Community Cupboard, Pagano stressed “they’re constantly inundated with people over there” as rising costs of living contribute to increased need.
“We know that our food pantries are already stretched thin. Federal budget cuts and the lack of state funding have left them struggling to keep up with the demand,” Winder said.
Laura Smith, a Norristown resident and George Washington Carver Community Center secretary, emphasized that “every little bit helps” with respect to an initiative like this.
She said between five and 10 people brought donations Tuesday to the polling place outside the Eisenhower Science and Technology Leadership Academy in Norristown.
“I’m hoping that they realize that we’re here for them,” Smith said, stressing that “Norristown’s got you. We’ve got your back and try to do the best job we can.”
Around 85,000 people reportedly experience food insecurity in Montgomery County, according to 2023 figures from Feeding America. Nearly 2 million Pennsylvanians are “at risk of losing SNAP benefits,” according to figures from Gov. Josh Shapiro’s office, including around 63,000 people in Montgomery County.
Area residents raised concerns over lack of resources heading into the Thanksgiving holiday.
“People need, and you don’t realize how many older people depend on their SNAP benefits that they’re now not going to get. So how can we feed them? Here’s one way,” Smith said.
While it’s unclear exactly how much food was collected Tuesday, Thomas spotlighted efforts where between 2,000 and 3,000 pounds of food were gathered, at the committee headquarters in Norristown, 178 boxes of food were assembled in Horsham Township and 288 pounds of food were collected in Upper Frederick Township.
“It was a Democratic party driven initiative, but the community members itself, it cut across party lines,” Thomas said. “We had overwhelming support from everyone, and I [am] just really entirely grateful to all of our communities for stepping up to the plate.”
Organizers underscored the collection effort was not partisan in nature. “I know that in Horsham Township, the local committees coordinated together,” Thomas said, referring to the county’s Democratic and Republican committees, but said “it really just depended on the municipality. ”Boxes were labeled “for our neighbors” as distribution efforts are expected to continue throughout the week.
“I think it’s just neighbors helping neighbors, and it’s not about which party or whatever, because I … don’t care if you’re a Republican, Democrat or Independent, donate food because there are people in need,” Pagano said. “We’re not trying to make it a political thing when it comes down to the food, but we just want to be able to help out, whoever that might be and from whatever party.”
The 2025 off-year municipal election featured a number of judgeships as well as local and school board races on the ballot, which resulted in a 49.79 percent voter turnout, according to unofficial figures updated early Wednesday.
As the one-two punch of the federal government shutdown and state budget impasse brings rising tensions across the nation, participants in the food drive hope it will provide an opportunity for unity.
“Maybe it’ll mitigate some of the divide because we’re just trying to help,” Pagano said.
