CHARLOTTE —Catholic Charities Diocese of Charlotte is stepping up to help people facing hunger across western North Carolina as SNAP benefits hang in the balance due to the ongoing federal government shutdown.
The Trump administration said Nov. 3 it will follow court orders directing it to pay benefits for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program – known as SNAP – but that only partial payments will be issued in November. Benefits originally were set to be cut off altogether on Nov. 1.
Even with partial benefits being paid, many people will still face a shortage in their food budgets, according to Gerard Carter, executive director and CEO of Catholic Charities Diocese of Charlotte.
“SNAP is a supplement – people typically get only half of what they need to feed a family,” Carter said. “Even if benefits are given at half of full value, it’s going to hurt children and families. It’s like cutting half of your budget in half again.”
One in eight Americans (about 42 million people) rely on SNAP benefits, which help low-income families buy groceries. according to the USDA. In 2023, 79% of recipient households included either a child, an elderly person or a person with a disability.
Catholic Charities’ three food banks – in Charlotte, Winston-Salem and Asheville – have food on hand and have begun locating additional food supplies. Agency directors met Monday to discuss strategies to address the situation – which could include releasing emergency funds, staging local food drives, and raising new funds to address the crisis.
Carter said the ongoing situation could impact benefit recipients indefinitely.
“We are looking at this as a long term food insecurity crisis, so we are putting a structure in place to respond over the long term,” he said.
Catholic Charities USA is sending seven pallets of vegetables, shelf-stable milk, pasta and other staples to western North Carolina to help the agency’s three food pantries respond to the increased needs.
Carter encourages those who want to help to send monetary donations designated for Catholic Charities’ food pantries so the agency can purchase what clients need.
The agency also is ramping up efforts to work with parishes to serve as collection points for donations of food and supplies.
— Christina Lee Knauss, OSV News contributed to this report
How to help
Donate online at ccdoc.org/donate and write “food pantries” in the dedicate my donation box. You may write a check payable to Catholic Charities Diocese of Charlotte and designate “food pantries” in the subject line and mail to: Catholic Charities Diocese of Charlotte, Attn: Central Processing Office, 1123 South Church St., Charlotte, NC 28203-4003. You can reach Catholic Charities at 704-370-3228.
Catholic Charities runs three food pantries in our diocese:
Charlotte Area
Address: 1123 S. Church Street, Charlotte, NC 28203
Phone: 704-370-3262 or text “FOOD” to 704-268-9821
Hours: Tuesday 10 a.m. – 12 p.m., Thursday 1 p.m. – 3 p.m.
Winston-Salem Area
Schedule all food pantry appointments online at www.ccdoc.org/choice-ws.
Address: 1612 14th Street NE, Winston-Salem, NC 27105
Hours: Thursday 9 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Asheville Area
Address: 50 Orange Street, Asheville, NC 28801
Phone: 828-255-0146
Hours: Wednesday 11:00 a.m. – 1 p.m.