Danielle Rodriguez works up to 35 hours a week as a customer service representative in Throop. She’s also a continuum of care advisory board member at the United Neighborhood Centers of Northeastern Pennsylvania.
The single mother of two already grocery shops with a calculator to make sure she maximizes her $400 in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP benefits. Rodriguez said she can “just barely” stretch the $400 through the entire month.
Rodriguez is one of more than 2 million Pennsylvanians that won’t receive their SNAP benefits for November due to the federal government shutdown.
“It hurts me to know people belittle people that get the SNAP benefits,” Rodriguez said. “A lot of us are working people, but things just cost so much that we're just trying to get by. And hearing this that we're not going to even get possible benefits for November at all. It's just like, how are we going to get by?”
Her children are nine and 14 months.
“My oldest is very aware. She's nine, and she asked me, ‘Mommy, are we gonna go hungry?’ And I said, ‘No.’ And you know, it breaks my heart,” she said.
She’s “weighing the pros and cons” of what she can skip financially in November. She spoke with her landlord about paying less this month since she’ll have to dip into her rent money to put food on the table.
“I've lost a lot of sleep over this because I'm trying to figure out, how am I going to stretch my little bit of income. My pay is nowhere near where I should be able to be okay to get by as it is, and now, with this being taken away, it's going to be very, very stressful, and it's going to be tough for the holidays to even put a nice Thanksgiving meal on the table for my kids,” she said.
SNAP benefits on pause nationally
The U.S. Department of Agriculture notified states earlier this month that it will not be able to fund SNAP for November due to the shutdown. The program is 100% federally funded.
As of September 2025, more than 140,000 SNAP recipients lived in U.S. Rep. Rob Bresnahan’s congressional district and nearly 115,000 in U.S. Rep. Dan Meuser’s, according to the state’s Department of Human Services. Bresnahan’s district has the most SNAP recipients of any Republican-led congressional district in the state. The two lawmakers are both based in Luzerne County, representing the 8th and 9th Districts, respectively.
The expiration of Affordable Care Act enhanced premium tax credits is the major issue causing the prolonged government shutdown. Pennsylvanians could see premium prices hikes as high as 38% if the tax credits are not extended.
It’s not likely recipients will be compensated for their food costs while SNAP benefits are paused.
“I spoke to my caseworker, and he said, as of right now, what they're told is it's on hold,” Rodriguez said. “We are not going to be getting back paid, and if anything, they will kind of prorate the amount that we're gonna get. We'll get something, but we don't even know when that would be, maybe it could be the middle of the month. If I look in my app that we use for SNAP, it tells me Dec. 1 that we're getting benefits.”
Pa.'s elected officials weigh in on SNAP pause
Pennsylvania Treasurer Stacy Garrity on Wednesday said she wants to loan the state money to help it cover November SNAP benefits for the affected Pennsylvanians, according to our partners at WESA.
The governor this week joined a multi-state lawsuit this week against President Donald Trump’s administration. He also says Garrity's proposal would be unworkable, thanks to Trump administration policy.
“For the first time since the program began in 1964, SNAP payments have been halted across the country because the Trump Administration has decided to use critical food assistance as a political bargaining chip,” said Shapiro. “That is unacceptable, especially when the USDA has billions of dollars in Congressionally-appropriated contingency funding on hand to fund SNAP and ensure millions of people don’t go hungry.”
“Republicans in Washington need to come to the table and reopen the federal government — but in the meantime, I’m taking legal action to demand that the Trump Administration continue SNAP payments that nearly 2 million Pennsylvanians rely on to feed themselves and their families,” Shapiro continued.
The lawsuit includes more than two dozen Democratic state attorneys general and governors from around the country. It challenges the USDA’s decision to not use a $6 million contingency fund to continue paying for SNAP benefits through the shutdown.
Meuser directed blame at Democrats.
“Democrats can either continue holding out for unrelated priorities or reopen the government so America’s most vulnerable populations can receive critical nutrition assistance,” Meuser said.
"I have spoken with several groups of constituents from Pennsylvania’s 9th District who are being directly harmed by this shutdown, including those at the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank’s Williamsport branch. By refusing to vote yes on the CR [continuing resolution], Senate Democrats are effectively terminating SNAP funding. They can easily resolve this potentially tragic situation by giving us 60 votes in the Senate this week, reopening our government, and allowing SNAP funding to continue serving our nation’s most vulnerable,” he continued.
Bresnahan also emphasized the importance of reopening the government and fully funding SNAP.
"More than 58,000 households in my district rely on SNAP. That is equal to one in five families. This shutdown is not about politics or polling numbers. It is about the impacts on real people in NEPA: families wondering how they will put food on the table without SNAP and mothers struggling to afford formula without WIC. I voted to keep the government open, introduced a bill to fund WIC during a government shutdown, and joined legislation to fund SNAP during a funding lapse,” Bresnahan said.
"I have been calling from the start for both sides to stop focusing on the politics and instead pay attention to the real-world impacts of this shutdown. The continuing resolution needs 60 votes in the Senate, which will require at least seven Democrat votes. Instead of continuing to blame Congressional Republicans, the governor should urge more Democrats to join Senator (John) Fetterman in using some common sense to reopen the government. I remain committed to fighting for the people of Northeastern Pennsylvania and the pay and resources they rely on,” Bresnahan said.
During a Scranton City Council meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 28, council member Mark McAndrew asked the community to step up and help local food pantries as city residents are expected to go without SNAP.
“That we look towards some of these food pantries, donate some nonperishables, consider a monetary donation, even volunteering your time," he said. "I know that every little bit counts. If we come together we can help fill the gap for our neighbors facing food insecurity in the days ahead.”
McAndrew then asked Scranton’s administration to put a list together of all the local food pantries.
Food pantries feel the squeeze of SNAP pause
Jennifer Warabak, the executive director of the Commission on Economic Opportunity (CEO) & Weinberg Northeast Regional Food Bank, said her organization has not received funding for programs since June because of the state budget holdup. The SNAP pause comes as their budget has been tight for months.
“We're stretched very thin, because not only is the demand increased, but our purchasing power has also decreased,” Warabak said. “As we're purchasing food, because of the cost of food, we're getting less than what we historically got.”
She said CEO & the Weinberg food bank have increased their shelf stable product orders in preparation.
“People and families that receive SNAP benefits, that is not the only thing they buy food with,” Warabak said. “That's a supplement to their household food budget. When that gets taken away, the immediate response is either they go without other things to be able to purchase food, or they turn to the charitable food system.”
Warabak said as of right now, they are still operating at 100%. But that might not be the case if the shutdown continues past November.
“This is not sustainable long term. We have a monthly budget based on program funds and donations. We are already spending money that was allocated for the first half of 2026,” she said.
Dani Ruhf, the CEO of CHOP Out Hunger, said a lack of SNAP is not sustainable for food pantries. CHOP Out Hunger serves 22 counties in Northeast and Central Pa. and runs mostly in-school food pantries and a weekend backpack program that provides students with food to take home. She’s already seeing an increased need.
“We're intended to make up the gap around SNAP, not to replace SNAP. None of us have the budget to even think about doing that right,” she said.
She said the funding issues are like a ripple effect. Payments for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, or LIHEAP will start in early December at the earliest instead of early November while the state waits to receive funding from the federal government because of the shutdown.
“There's not going to be any LIHEAP support for a while, people who used to get LIHEAP are now coming to us to make up that difference by getting food. We're like the first stop and the last stop,” Ruhf said.
Ruhf said the people her organization serves are “absolutely terrified.”
“They don't know what they're going to do, because there's no end in sight to it. It's not like it's happening at the beginning of the summer, where they can plant a garden. They're just trying to figure out how to survive it,” she said.
She recommends that people do their best to stretch their food, especially if they have to purchase it instead of getting food from pantries.
“Really look at the quality and nutrition and price of your stuff. I mean, rice and beans aren't fun, but rice and beans are cheap and clean and high quality. Whatever you need to do to stretch your budget,” she said.
Children impacted by SNAP pause
Nearly 40% of SNAP recipients in the country are children, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Shapiro’s office said more than 713,000 children are covered by SNAP in Pennsylvania.
“A lot of these kids are going to be coming from families that are going to be directly impacted. The service that we provide where we have a food pantry and we have cooked meals that we offer every day, those are going to take on more importance,” said John Rosengrant, executive director of the NEPA Youth Shelter in Scranton.
Rosengrant welcomes donations as they bolster food reserves ahead of Nov. 1.
“If you are in that position to be able to help, consider our organization. These kids deserve to come here, and this has always been a safe space for them. We don't want to let what's happening above us interfere with their ability to come here and just be kids,” Rosengrant said.
He said having enough food for the young people the shelter serves is “not negotiable.”
“No, it's not going to be easy … We'll find a way to do it. We're just going to have to find creative ways to make sure that we're doing it,” Rosengrant said.
He has not yet heard the kids talking about the SNAP pause. But he will be ready if there’s an increased need.
“Kids want to be kids. They want to come here and play on the PlayStation and not talk about what's for supper tonight, but we suspect, even if they're not talking about it. I mean, this is reality. This is what's happening. So we just have to be prepared for it,” he said.
Rodriguez hopes the shutdown ends soon so she and other families can get their SNAP benefits. She wants legislators to hear stories like hers and realize the importance of funding the program.
“I would basically tell them, look around at these little faces that look up to you, prove to them that you're willing to fight for them, not just their parents. Look at these children, the ones that are going to have to see their parents stressing out. How is Mommy and Daddy going to get us food? No child should ever have to worry about that,” Rodriguez said.
RESOURCE LIST
● Use your zip code to find resources near you.
● Use your zip code to find food pantries near you on Feeding PA’s food banks archive.
● Find a Commission on Economic Opportunity food pantry near you in Wyoming, Susquehanna, Lackawanna or Luzerne counties.
● Find food near you using your zip code through the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank.
● Find a Bread Basket of NEPA food pantry in Lackawanna County.
● Call 211 to get connected to resources.
● United Way of Wyoming Valley will host a food drive Nov. 2 at Trion Industries in Wilkes-Barre from 1-4 p.m. They’re accepting donations until Oct. 31.
● Stroudsburg Wesleyan Church’s helping hands food pantry is open the first and third Friday of each month from 5-6 p.m. They are accepting donations.
● Find a CHOP Out Hunger pop up food pantry near you.
● Northern Light Espresso Bar & Cafe in Scranton will offer free breakfasts on Tuesdays in November for SNAP recipients who show their cards.
● Prepaid meals are available at The Burnt Norton in Wilkes-Barre as part of their Kindness Wall initiative.
● Abide Coffeehouse is accepting $7 donations that will cover a sandwich and bag of chips for someone in need.
WVIA's Kat Bolus contributed to this report.
