Buncombe County health officials told the Health & Human Services Board that federal funding for SNAP and related USDA programs is secure through Sept. 30, 2026, and described a community food-drive effort that helped local food banks bridge gaps during the recent federal shutdown.

David, Buncombe County’s health and human services director, said the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s appropriation restored predictable funding for WIC, SNAP and USDA support to food banks. “That means our WIC programs, our LIEAP energy programs, SNAP benefit recipients ... all of those sorts of components of our assistance to families in Buncombe County … will be stably operational through September 2026,” he said.

Board members and staff described a community food drive organized by Buncombe County with partners including Manna Food Bank, ABCCM and local nonprofits. David said, as of the morning of the meeting, organizers had collected 14,500 pounds of food—an amount county staff estimated would produce about 11,830 meals for distribution heading into Thanksgiving.

Martha Salyers, reporting for a program subgroup, added that the county is preparing for administrative work tied to new SNAP work requirements; she said roughly 1,800 Buncombe County SNAP recipients of 29,000 total (about 7 percent) could be affected. “That’s going to take some administrative work and a lot of working with the public on what that actually means,” she said.

Staff said the temporary community response aimed to “stand in the gap” while USDA-funded ordering processes resumed; David noted food banks rely on USDA-supplied inventory and place orders in advance, so donated food helped avoid empty shelves as new federal orders come online.

County staff asked residents who want to help to donate at designated library sites through the end of the drive and noted Manna will accept cash contributions as well.

What’s next: County staff said they are scheduling partner pickups and distribution so donated food is available to pantries and families over the holiday period. County leaders also said they will continue outreach to SNAP recipients about administrative changes tied to work requirements and will stagger recertification work to reduce disruption.