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United Way and Table to Table describe countywide Food Access Network response after SNAP pause
Summary
United Way and Table to Table told the commission a November pause in SNAP payments produced a 24% spike in pantry visits and roughly 55,000 extra pounds of food distributed over three weeks; the provider-led Food Access Network and Johnson County COAD coordinated fundraising, bulk purchasing and deliveries and raised about $50,000 for emergency food purchases.
Emily Meister of United Way of Johnson and Washington Counties and Nikki Ross, director of Table to Table, briefed the commission on the Food Access Network's coordination during a November disruption to SNAP benefits.
Ross said the federal pause in SNAP payments during a government funding lapse produced immediate strain: "We had about —1,700,000.0 per month is what the SNAP benefit amount is for Johnson County," she said, and partners saw an increase in pantry use beginning in October as residents anticipated the loss of benefits.
Presenters said data gathered by local partners showed a 24% increase in pantry visits during the peak weeks and roughly 55,000 additional pounds of food distributed across pantry partners in about three weeks. Ross and Meister warned that increased pantry distribution does not equate to replacing the lost SNAP dollars: those benefits help families meet monthly food needs and pay for rent and utilities when allocated differently.
Meister described the Food Access Network as a provider-led network of 18 organizations that existed prior to the disruption and credited that pre-existing alignment with allowing an effective, rapid response. The network and the Johnson County COAD (Community Organizations Active in Disaster), led by United Way, stood up a Food Access Network Fund at United Way, waived administrative fees for that fund and used collective purchasing strategies to buy wholesale food and allocate it among partners.
"We raised somewhere around $50,000 for food purchasing, as it related to the SNAP crisis," Ross said, noting additional food drives and in-kind donations. Meister added that local partners also engaged in advocacy and outreach to state and federal legislators and worked with Iowa-wide groups such as the Iowa Hunger Coalition and United Ways of Iowa to make the scale of the need visible.
Meister and Ross said the network plans to present a broader Nonprofit Collective at a joint entities meeting on Jan. 12 and invited municipal and county officials to participate in long-term planning for funding and cross-sector coordination.
Presenters emphasized continued uncertainty: changes at the federal or state level to SNAP administrative funding could shift responsibilities to states, potentially reducing benefit availability. Commissioners asked about AmeriCorps and service capacity; presenters said AmeriCorps reductions had an effect but some roles were partially reinstated.
No formal funding appropriation or policy decision was made at the meeting; commissioners were invited to the Jan. 12 joint entities meeting to learn more about long-term coordination options.
