Apopka resident Jeff Parsons works 30 hours per week in customer service and receives about $288 in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits on the 15th of every month. He has tried to get a full-time job but no luck. 

As the federal government shutdown drags into its second month, Parsons said he is “doing okay right now,” but if his SNAP benefits aren’t restored by Nov. 15, that will affect when and what he can eat. 

“It boils down to choosing between buying your medicine, your prescriptions, or buying food,” Parsons said. “I’m lucky because I’m just one [person], because I have a friend who has a family, and it really affects them because they have to decide between meeting the needs of their children.” 

Parsons is one of nearly 3 million Florida residents – almost 13% of the state’s nearly 24 million population – impacted by the suspension of SNAP benefits due to the federal government shutdown, which began Oct. 1. There are nearly 42 million SNAP recipients in the U.S., or about 12% of the national population. 

Amid the political gridlock, the county and local organizations are ramping up their efforts to assist SNAP recipient by requesting more donations and asking the community to pitch in by organizing food drives. 

Last week, Orange County convened a press conference to address the impact of the shutdown on SNAP benefits and the 175,000 county residents who receive them. According to Mayor Jerry Demings, the SNAP suspension would affect 500 programs that receive $90 million in county funding. He said he would ask the Orange County Board of County Commissioners to allocate$1 million for the emergency. 

During the press conference, Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida, and Heart of Florida United Way encouraged those who need help to use their resources.  

Demings joined state legislators and nonprofits who have called on Gov. Ron DeSantis to declare a state of emergency on food insecurity. Those calls included one from Apopka nonprofit Hope CommUnity Center (HCC) and over 70 organizations that signed and dispatched a demand letter to DeSantis.  

On Monday, DeSantis dismissed the calls to declare an emergency, access emergency funds and give out food aid as funding in lieu of SNAP. 

 “I’m getting letters from Democrats saying, ‘You should declare an emergency and create your own SNAP,’ when they’re the ones that are filibustering SNAP,” DeSantis said, as reported in the Tampa Bay Times.  

On Oct. 31, two federal judges separately ruled that the Trump administration must continue funding SNAP using contingency funds, the Associated Press reported.  

President Donald Trump indicated the government will follow the court rulings to fund for food aid during the shutdown, but the details of how and when that would happen were unclear. On Tuesday, Trump posted on Truth Social that SNAP benefits “will be given only when the Radical Left Democrats open up government, which they can easily do, and not before!”  

Trump said in his post that during President Joe Biden’s term, SNAP benefits had “increased by billion sand billions of dollars” because “they were haphazardly ‘handed’ to anyone for the asking as opposed to just those in need, which is the purpose of SNAP!”  

On Tuesday, the Senate rejected temporary a funding measure for the 14th time, making this shutdown the longest in United States history, USA Today reported.  

Although Apopka’s HCC has been calling on DeSantis to declare a state of emergency on the revoked SNAP benefits, the immigration rights group has also been helping those in need. So far this year, HCC has processed 610 SNAP applications, distributed food to 1,360 families, and delivered 4,266 food baskets through a partnership with Second Harvest Food Bank.  

“Every day that passes puts 2.9 million Floridians who rely on SNAP in greater danger,” HCC executive director Felipe Sousa-Lazaballet said during a Monday news conference at the HCC campus on North Park Avenue. 

Speakers at the press conference included Congressman Maxwell Alejandro Frost and community advocates. 

Jen Hall, a widow of a U.S. Army veteran and mother of a teenager with autism who relies on social security and SNAP benefits, described the frequent hardship of choosing between necessities such as food, housing and healthcare.  

A severe car accident left her permanently disabled at age 29 more than 10 years ago. In May 2024, her husband died unexpectedly due to health issues after losing his Medicaid coverage. Since his death, Hall said, she has depended on social security and SNAP benefits to support her family, living on less than $2,000 a month.  

“I am tired of feeling like I am dying of poverty in what is supposed to be the richest country in the world,” Hall said at the press conference. “Governor DeSantis, you have the power to change that. I share my story today, because sadly, it is not a unique one. There are many, many others for whom this lack of assistance will cause irrevocable harm.” 

Loaves & Fishes, an Apopka food pantry, operates with donations from Second Harvest Food Bank and community drives like one scheduled this Saturday with the Boy Scouts. Loaves and Fishes serves almost 300 clients weekly and reports a recent influx of 38 new clients due to SNAP shortages.  

Every week, from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Thursday, Loaves & Fishes gives out emergency food bags to people in its local service area who are in need, even if they are not yet qualified clients of the pantry.  

Individuals who are interested in becoming Loaves & Fishes clients may set up an appointment with the food pantry and bring three documents to qualify: proof of address, income and housing.  

In existence for over 40 years, Loaves & Fishes has been ready to serve the community no matter the circumstances.

“We’re always prepared for an influx [of people], or even if we’re [in] a downtime,” Lory Reeves, Loaves & Fishes director, said. “When COVID hit, we thought we were going to be really, really slammed with a lot of people, and it was actually the opposite. But we’re always prepared here. We’ve been here for over 40 years, so we’re pretty good at what we’re doing, and the community always comes through with helping us out, but we are seeing an influx of new people coming in because of the food stamp shortage.”