With the governmental shutdown now the longest the United States has ever seen, many departments and governmental assistance programs have been halted; the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program was one. SNAP was halted on November 1 and now about 1/8 of Americans, about 42 million people, will face food insecurity worse than before. This will affect the Northern Michigan University community.
“We’ve noticed a rise in visits to the food pantry this past year. When talk of SNAP benefits being cut first began, the pantry got busier almost immediately,” said Alisa Hummel, one of the faculty in charge of NMU’s Food Pantry.
Recently NMU students received an email from the President’s Office on campus. Detailing the expanding aid students have access to.
“To support NMU’s SNAP recipients, Northern is making additional funds available to the NMU Food Pantry so staff there can purchase food items as needed to meet increasing demand. Current NMU Food Pantry hours at 101B Gries Hall are 11 a.m. – 4 p.m. Monday and Thursday, 3-5 p.m. Sunday and 4-6 p.m. Wednesday. Hours at 101D Jacobetti Complex are 1-4 p.m. Monday and Thursday.
The NMU Food Pantry accepts donations of unexpired, non-perishable food items, unused and unopened personal care and toiletry items, along with other basic household items. Donations can be dropped off from 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. at the Dean of Students Office, 2001 Hedgcock. To arrange a drop off, call 906-227-1700 or email [email protected]. Donations can also be brought to the NMU Police Department lobby 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and put in the box marked NMU Food Pantry, which will be available through the last day of the semester, Saturday, Dec. 13.
Northern students who are SNAP recipients can also make requests for “Wildcat Emergency Assistance Fund” grants to help cover SNAP items that may not be available at the NMU Food Pantry. To do so, a student should contact the NMU Financial Aid Office ([email protected], 906-227-2327, 2107 Hedgcock) with a copy of their SNAP benefits documentation. The Financial Aid Office and NMU Foundation will work to approve Wildcat Emergency Assistance Fund requests for SNAP recipients as quickly as possible.”
The email also mentioned how the Michigan Senate passed a bill to provide emergency funding for statewide SNAP recipients, but detailed how the bill has a few more hurdles to go through before it is passed. However, Thursday night saw a federal judge order the Trump Administration to fund SNAP benefits through November.
“The ruling by U.S. District Judge John J. McConnell Jr. gave President Donald Trump’s administration until Friday to make the payments through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, though it’s unlikely the 42 million Americans — about 1 in 8, most of them in poverty — will see the money on the debit cards they use for groceries nearly that quickly,” reported Geoff Mulvihl and Michael Casey of AP. The full article can be found here.
As the article mentioned, even if SNAP benefits are returned for the month it may still be a while until people receive them and there are still the problems of what happens between now and then.
“Once a program like SNAP is affected, households aren’t able to easily readjust, even when benefits are reinstated,” Hummel said. “Due to the pause in benefits, recipients often start at a deficit – and that’s if the SNAP benefits were enough to get them through. For many, they aren’t. NMU is a tight community; what affects one of us affects all of us. Though this has the potential to negatively impact students and learning outcomes, I believe the NMU community will rise to the challenge and help students and staff who rely on SNAP and the Food Pantry get the resources they need.”
All across the Upper Peninsula, and the wider nation, communities are banding together to support our neighbors in need. Business across Ishpeming, Negaunee and Marquette are donating or have donated to food pantries; businesses like Sherries in Ishpeming, the Canathon held by WLUC in Negaunee and Trenary Toast Cafe in Marquette. This is also felt on NMU’s campus with student organizations donating to the NMU Food Pantry: like Mortar Board Honor Society donating 200 pounds of food or the NMU Young Democratic Socialists of America raising $450 in a monetary donation.
“We’ve seen an uptick in donations and are being the beneficiary of current can and food drives, which we are immensely grateful for,” Hummel said. “We appreciate all the support we get from NMU’s community and couldn’t run without it. For those able to donate food items, we take unexpired shelf stable products and produce, but we can’t take frozen or refrigerated foods, including eggs,” she said.
“We’re always grateful for gluten-free or vegan products, as those are a bit harder to come by. Having said that, we depend on financial support from donors. Even five dollars can go far! Five bucks can provide 50 meals due to our contract with Feeding America. For anyone considering a donation, please visit the NMU Foundation website. For other donations, email [email protected] to set up a time for us to accept them.”
Those looking to donate can contribute nonperishable goods to various Canathon donation boxes across NMU, like the Science Building and John X. Jamrich Hall, and then also donating right to the NMU Food Pantry. To make a monetary donation contact the NMU Foundation at (906) 227-2627. NMU asks donators to notify the NMU Foundation that your gift is for the NMU Food Pantry. Any inquiries to [email protected] or (906) 227-1700.
