On October 1, 2025, the United States federal government went into a shutdown after lawmakers were unable to pass any new funding bills. As a result of the shutdown, government employees have been without pay, and many federally funded programs and organizations have stopped operations due to a lack of funding.
One of the federally run programs at risk of losing complete funding is SNAP– the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
What is SNAP, exactly? SNAP is the United States’ largest nutrition assistance program. The USDA reported that in 2024, 41.7 million people received SNAP benefits per month. In the state of Tennessee, more than 66% of participants are families with children, and more than 37% of participants are in families with older adults or disabled family members. Last year, 1 in 10 Tennesseans were helped by SNAP, and statewide, Tennessee provided $1.62 billion in benefits in 2024.
On October 10, the USDA told state agencies in a letter that November benefits should be held off “until further notice” due to insufficient funding. This is incredibly concerning, regardless of whether you receive SNAP benefits or not. SNAP allows people to buy the essential healthy foods they need to live, like fruits, vegetables, meat, dairy and bread/cereals. Nationally and across the state of Tennessee, a large majority of SNAP recipients are “food insecure,” meaning they struggle to put food on the table. Stopping SNAP benefits means even more struggle and unnecessary stress on these individuals and families.
Until the federal government passes a new funding bill, how can Tennessee residents struggling with food insecurity get help? At ETSU, Bucky’s Food Pantry has three separate locations– one in the D.P. Culp Student Center, one at Buc Ridge, and another at the ETSU campus in Kingsport. Students, faculty and staff can request food boxes from Bucky’s Food Pantry. You can also donate food to Bucky’s Food Pantry at any of their locations. If you’re interested in learning more about Bucky’s Food Pantry, visit www.etsu.edu/foodpantry.
In terms of resources in Johnson City and the greater Northeast Tennessee region, Second Harvest Food Bank has an extensive list of local food pantries on its website for residents in Carter, Greene, Hancock, Hawkins, Johnson, Sullivan, Washington and Unicoi counties. You can view the list by visiting www.netfoodbank.org/food-pantry.
Also, if you’re able, consider donating to any of the local food pantries mentioned above. It could change somebody’s day, week, or even their life. My advice to you? Remember the golden rule: always help others the way you’d want to be helped.
