>> We leave it there. Brad Olson, thanks very much for
your time. >> Thank you very much.
>> As of tomorrow, SNAP or Foodshare benefits are due
to run out because of the government shutdown.
Wisconsin gets about $115 million a month from the
feds to help some 700,000 people be able to buy
groceries. State Attorney General Josh Kaul signed on
to a multi-state lawsuit to tap contingency funds in
the USDA to cover SNAP into November.
>> A government shutdown has never stopped states
from distributing these critical benefits to those
who need them. So this lawsuit is about protecting
Foodshare funding and preventing Wisconsinites
and millions of others from around the country, from
losing access to what can be life sustaining food
assistance. As the government shutdown moves
forward. >> Following a hearing in
the lawsuit, the federal judge in Massachusetts
indicated she would order the Trump administration to
send Snap funds to states. So the familiar uncertainty
persists. But adding to the federal snap cliff, some
18,000 federal workers in Wisconsin are mostly going
without a paycheck. Where to turn for help to feed
the family in the midst of it, food banks and pantries
are girding for a rush on their services. We turn to
Jackie Anderson, executive director of Feeding
Wisconsin, a statewide network of food banks. And
thanks very much for being here.
>> So what kind of trepidation do you have
going forward with potential lapses or
disruptions in food share benefits?
about having enough food because we know that people
already, in preparation for not being able to receive
their Snap benefits in the month of November, they're
starting to stock up. So across the state, we're
really thinking about how can we ensure that
everybody has the amount of food that they have until
the government opens up again and Snap benefits
will go back on EBT cards? >> You're saying with
people kind of stocking up even ahead of any kind of
cut of Snap funding, that you're having difficulties
because the costs are going up?
some vendors, because they know that there is pressure
to make sure that we have food on our shelves. There
are some significant increases that we're seeing
in some parts of the state. So, you know, we're really
trying to encourage people to use their Snap benefits
in the month of November because there was some
miscommunication saying that a person could not use
their Snap benefits throughout the month of
November, and that is inaccurate. The confusion
was around whether or not stores would accept their
EBT cards in the month of November, and the message,
and that because of messaging that had come
from on the federal level. And so we needed to be
clear that everybody can use their benefits. So
let's say you have a balance left over in
October. You absolutely can use that in the month of
November. >> How have food prices
already taxed your services even ahead of all of this?
The shutdown. numbers we were looking at
were actually pre-COVID. So we know already because of
inflation that people cannot keep food in their
shelves like they had previously done. So we know
we knew already that we didn't have enough food at
the food bank and food pantry world to to keep
everybody fed. And now this is just increased what we
need to do. >> As to the lawsuit to tap
USDA contingency contingency funds to cover
SNAP through November, what's your response to the
administration? can't do that?
>> Yeah, it's frustrating because we know that there
is funds on the federal level. We know that there's
funds at the state level as well. The funding is there.
It's just a matter of releasing it. And it is a
political game at this point. And everybody needs
to to come together because people are going to go
hungry. And that is not something that anyone
should play around with. We need to really take
advantage of the funds that are there and release them.
>> It does seem like a policy choice, because
there are some lawmakers who believe that the Snap
program is bloated or rife with abuse and fraud. What
do you know about that? >> It's not we we see time
and time again, and we know the vast majority of people
who are using Snap benefits absolutely are working more.
They work 1 or 2 jobs that it's not it's not fraud.
It's not fraud, waste and abuse. We know that people
who need it are 700,000 people throughout the state
of Wisconsin. Of them, a large percentage are senior
citizens and families with children. It's not people
who are taking advantage of the system.
>> Even with a court order, could recipients experience
a lapse in food share? >> Absolutely. So even when,
released and it goes back on their EBT cards, we know
that there will be a slight delay just to get
everything up and running again. So we're being
really clear in the messaging around that, that
even when the government opens up, it's not going to
be a miraculous, you know, addition on their EBT cards.
It's going to take a couple of days to get things up
and running. >> So Feeding Wisconsin
secures donations from retailers, food companies,
local donors and ag producers. Have those
donations kept pace with this demand?
>> It's interesting. So our food banks, they collect a
lot of donations. And what you just spoke about, I
think where we're seeing the biggest lapse right now
is corporate donors. And that could be because of
tariffs. Like there's a lot of reasons why that's
happening. But on the whole there is donations. So many
people want to help out right now. We encourage
anybody if they are interested in helping out,
go straight to the food bank or the food pantries
instead of doing individual food drives. That is where
you can get the most for your money. Where they have
purchasing power, they understand what their
community needs. >> So for people who have
never sought out food pantries, what should they
know? that our food pantries are
welcoming and that they are there to help the community.
They try to communicate what is available most, not
most all, food banks and food pantries. They are
there. Times are listed on their websites and
sometimes those change based on if it's a mobile
pantry. Also, expect long lines we're seeing right
now. You know where there used to be maybe an hour
long line. Now it's 2 to 3 hours long, so expect a
delay if you could get there during the
distribution hours early. That will help ensure that
there's enough food for you. >> Is it true that right
now there are many first time users kind of of
pantries? Especially in those
military communities. We know that there are first
timers. You know, anyone else who is a federal
worker. If they're not getting paid, we know that
they're going to be first timers as well as just
people who are struggling to because of the cost of