Brockport, N.Y. —Intense debate in Washington and a government shutdown has led to a lapse
in benefits for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) for the month of
November. With 2.93 million SNAP recipients in New York and approximately 62,000
households on SNAP benefits in Monroe County, residents have been struggling, and food
pantries are doing what they can to help.

Since news of potential SNAP cuts broke, many Brockport residents who rely on the program
have been left unsure how to feed their families. The impact was immediate. Visits to the
Brockport Ecumenical Pantry at 14 State Street have doubled. This shows the community’s
growing dependence on local resources as fears of reduced assistance grow.

Advisor of Brockport Ecumenical Pantry, Linda Kruchten-Merring said this is the most people
she’s seen visit the food pantry in a decade

“This past Thursday not only did the pantry hand out Thanksgiving boxes, but they also had 90
families,” said Kruchten-Merring. “The highest I have ever known is 45 or 50 in the last 10
years. It is absolutely overwhelming. I am looking at the shelves over here. I have not seen them
that empty. There are some new volunteers I saw, which is great.”

Brockport Community Connections (BCC) is a group dedicated to helping low-income residents
in Brockport. BCC and St. Luke’s Episcopal Church Brockport have donated $1,150 to the
Brockport Ecumenical Food Pantry. The contribution supports the Thanksgiving Basket Project,
which provides meals to families in need during Thanksgiving and throughout the holiday
season.

Reverend of St. Lukes Episcopal Church and BCC board member, Elizabeth Harden said that
they have exceeded their budget this year for the project.

“We spend $12,000 per year at least. I think this year the budget is going to exceed that to put
together a full Thanksgiving meal in a box for families of all sizes,” Harden said. “In the past, we
have had 200 families per year in Brockport. We are over that already for this year, and sign-ups
haven’t closed. We are looking at pushing potentially 300 which means that 500-600 people will
hopefully have a festive holiday meal, because this is their community and that’s what they
should have.”

In times of crisis, the community can make a meaningful difference by donating canned and nonperishable food items or by lending a hand through volunteer work at the local pantry.

In addition to the Ecumenical Food Shelf, SUNY Brockport also has resources for food-insecure
residents in the Brockport community. Located in Dailey Hall, The Pantry offers a wide array of
grocery and healthcare items for SUNY Brockport students and faculty, as well as the wider
community.

With rising grocery prices and SNAP benefits delayed, food shelves are finding it challenging to
maintain their mission. Assistant Director of Well-Being at SUNY Brockport, Ashely Breth says
an influx of customers and price increases has made The Pantry rethink their business model.
“We have a partnership with Foodlink so we get updates from them which keeps us in the know,
so we can make good financial decisions,” Breth said. “We are also supplementing; I was at
Walmart this morning getting thirty dozen eggs to supplement for the fact that there were less
that we could get in our order.”

Relief is in sight as President Trump signed a deal to reopen the Government on Nov. 12, 2025,
promising that 100% of SNAP benefits would be restored within 24 hours. Meanwhile, with
Thanksgiving just days away, local organizations will continue to serve the needs of the
community, ensuring that no one goes hungry this holiday season.