The Christian Center of Park City's food pantry is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mon. through Sat. at 1283 Deer Valley Drive to provide resources to those with food insecurity. Photo: Christian Center of Park City

UTAH — With federal food assistance programs set to end on Nov. 1 due to the ongoing government shutdown, thousands of Utah families are facing uncertainty about how they will put food on the table.

State officials confirmed that Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients will still be able to use any remaining funds on their cards, but Utah Senate President Stuart Adams told Utah News Dispatch that “the state is not equipped to fund federal programs for weeks or months in the absence of congressional action.”

Roughly 86,000 Utah households rely on SNAP benefits, which are fully funded by the federal government. The Utah Department of Workforce Services estimates that $33 million would be needed to continue benefits through November.

Local food drives

Food banks and community organizations across Utah are preparing for an expected surge in demand.

In the Park City area, a Halloween food drive is encouraging residents to include food donations alongside Halloween treats. Donations collected by trick-or-treaters can be dropped off at the Park City Library, the Christian Center of Park City (CCPC), the Heber Christian Center, or the Utah Food Bank.

CCPC, which operates food pantries in Park City and Heber, said it’s ready to support families affected by the loss of benefits. Both pantries are open Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., and donations of unopened, unexpired food items are accepted during business hours.

National outlook

Nationally, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program served an average of 41.7 million Americans in fiscal year 2024 — roughly 12% of the U.S. population.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), which administers SNAP, confirmed it will not use its $6 billion emergency fund to extend benefits into November, a shift from its own contingency plan published on Sept. 30. That plan, since removed from the USDA website, outlined how the agency could tap emergency funds and redirect an additional $3 billion to maintain benefits during a shutdown.

Lawmakers in Washington are pursuing several stopgap measures to continue funding food assistance. House Republicans have introduced a bill to sustain the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), while Senate leaders continue negotiations on extending SNAP benefits.

Meanwhile, a coalition of Democratic-led states filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration on Tuesday over the decision not to use the contingency funds.