The Cumberland County Board of Commissioners held a special meeting Friday, Oct. 24, 2025, to review potential local impacts of a possible federal government shutdown and coordinate with public-health, social-services and nonprofit partners on outreach and short-term response.

The meeting opened with remarks from the chairman emphasizing urgency: commissioners would "hear directly from our health department, and our social services about the immediate impacts they're seeing" and discuss coordination with community partners, faith organizations and municipalities.

The county's public-health director said the Cumberland County WIC program serves more than 12,000 participants and that roughly $11,200,000 in WIC food benefits have been redeemed locally this year. The health director told commissioners that state and federal officials had secured funding to operate WIC into mid-November and that "assuming the redemption levels for those WIC benefits remain stable, and with ongoing incremental funding, WIC can operate through November 15." She urged families to continue scheduled appointments and provided two local contact numbers for WIC: (910) 433-3610 for general information and (910) 433-3730 for appointments.

Brenda Jackson, director of the Cumberland County Department of Social Services, said the county currently serves more than 33,000 households through the Food and Nutrition Program (SNAP). Jackson said October benefits had been distributed but that USDA and the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services advised November benefits "may be delayed or disrupted if the federal shutdown continues." She reminded residents that unspent benefits on EBT cards carry over month to month and encouraged conservation and use of stable, shelf-stable foods, and directed residents to check benefits and apply online at epass.nc.gov; her office’s main address is 1225 Ramsey Street.

County staff and commissioners emphasized the county would not immediately allocate new large-scale resources but would focus on coordination, communication and making credible information available to residents. The county public information officer said the county has a landing page (cumberlandcountync.gov/resources) and a yellow banner on the home page linking to frequently updated FAQs and local resource listings.

United Way of Cumberland County’s executive director, Scott Embry, described NC 2-1-1 as a statewide information-and-referral service powered locally by United Way. He said NC 2-1-1 handled more than 10,300 calls in the county this year and that many local food banks, churches and service providers are listed in its vetted database. The number for the service is 211 and the website is nc211.org.

Commissioners and staff answered questions about other programs. Officials said child-care subsidy and other state-administered programs had no notification of immediate disruption through November, but that Low Income Energy Assistance (LIHEAP) and WIC and SNAP were among the programs flagged as at risk of delay. On Medicaid, the public-health director and social-services staff said local operations had not changed, and that potential rate changes under state Medicaid rebase are being monitored; they noted local health-department services can provide care on a sliding-fee scale if needed.

School system representatives said students would continue to receive meals at school; many schools participate in the Community Eligibility Provision, and schools will provide free lunch for students impacted by household disruptions. Commissioners also discussed coordination around transportation, sheltering, animal services, library access and winter preparedness, and urged partners to plug into NC 2-1-1 and the county resource page.

The meeting closed with a reminder to use credible sources, and the commissioners moved to adjourn. A voice vote to adjourn was taken and the meeting ended.

Votes at a glance
- Motion: Adjourn meeting. Mover: not specified. Second: not specified. Vote: voice vote; commissioners voted in favor by voice. Outcome: approved.

Ending
County staff said the county will continue regular updates as federal and state guidance evolves; the county public information office and NC 2-1-1 were identified as primary points for residents seeking resources and referrals.