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Buncombe County activates response to federal shutdown as SNAP service pauses drive demand for food support
Summary
County incident commander says the county has opened donation sites, a hotline and redeployed staff to cover gaps caused by federal SNAP pauses. Partners including libraries and Manna Food Bank are coordinating distribution; county reports roughly 105 calls a day and about 2,300 pounds of food collected daily.
Buncombe County officials on Nov. 4 detailed steps they have taken to help residents affected by the federal government shutdown and the temporary pause in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits.
Nathan Green, the county’s incident commander for the shutdown response, told the Board of Commissioners the county activated an incident management team, stood up a call center and opened donation sites at county facilities including all 12 libraries, Health and Human Services and the register of deeds. The county also reactivated a volunteer support program that allows county employees to use volunteer hours for food distribution and relief efforts.
“Our focus has been early action, clear communication, and making sure critical services and support remain accessible for families who may be affected by the shutdown,” Green said during the briefing.
Green said the county has coordinated with 16 partner organizations through a feeding collaborative and is working with Manna Food Bank to route donations through its distribution network. The county has built a referral pathway through the 1 Buncombe call center so residents can be connected to food resources in real time, he said.
County staff reported receiving about 105 calls per day across the 1 Buncombe and economic services call centers and collecting roughly 2,300 pounds of food per day, which the county estimated equates to about 1,925 meals. An Oct. 30 press conference reached what the county described as 3.1 million impressions.
Officials also warned of related local service gaps as federal programs face uncertainty. The manager’s office highlighted potential impacts to the Low Income Energy Assistance Program timing and noted that other seasonal assistance could be affected.
Commissioners praised staff for rapidly redeploying to support food distribution and for coordinating with municipal partners to add distribution sites. The county asked residents to find donation locations and schedules online or by calling the 1 Buncombe hotline.
The briefing did not include an estimate of how many residents have had SNAP benefits interrupted by the pause, nor a detailed breakdown of partner contributions by site. County staff said they will continue to monitor needs and coordinate with community partners as the situation develops.
