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New York|Houses of Worship Struggle to Feed New Yorkers During SNAP Stalemate
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/03/nyregion/church-pantries-food-aid.html
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In New York City, there are about 600 food pantries scattered across the five boroughs and at least 90 percent are run by either a religious organization or a nonprofit connected to a place of worship.
Nov. 3, 2025Updated 2:30 p.m. ET
Before daylight in the cold morning air, nearly 100 people stood bundled in hats and coats, their empty carts parked outside an Upper Manhattan church pantry.
A line had begun forming on the sidewalk outside the Church of the Good Shepherd, a Catholic church in the Inwood neighborhood, at least an hour before the pantry was scheduled to open Saturday.
The group of people gathered, which included many older and middle-aged adults, came seeking canned goods and fresh produce like green onions, pears and cranberries, fearful that their refrigerators and cabinets could soon be empty as it remained unclear whether the food stamp program would continue to be funded.
As the government shutdown passed the one-month mark and the Trump administration said it would make only partial payments in November to sustain the program — known as Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP — roughly 42 million people were at risk of receiving food aid late and in reduced amounts, including nearly 1.8 million New York City residents.
Stepping in to be a lifeline for families felt like second nature for some churches in New York City.
“We’ve always done this,” said Father George Sears, pastor of the Church of Good Shepherd, who was bagging food in the hallway with volunteers at 7 a.m. on Saturday, preparing to feed over 450 people.
