By Alisha Ebrahimji

(CNN) — As a breastfeeding mom of a toddler – and with another child on the way – Gabrielle knows how vital it is to get the right nutrients, with her body serving both her children in different capacities.

But the 21-year-old mother is worried about what the coming weeks will look like for her family as the second-longest government shutdown in US history threatens their access to a critical food assistance program.

Gabrielle, who asked CNN to use only her first name due to the perceived stigma around needing assistance, is one of the 42 million Americans who rely on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, the formal name for food stamps. But with SNAP benefits set to halt in the next few days, Gabrielle finds herself stretching her family’s limited finances in order to fill her refrigerator.

“SNAP benefits are a must right now,” she said, adding her fiancé’s workload has been slow and she’s currently out of work herself.

Now, in online forums usually reserved for finding handyman recommendations and lost pets, or buying and selling gently used belongings, neighbors are stepping up for one another as “grocery buddies,” creating a patchwork solution for vulnerable families across the country.

Here’s how it works: Neighbors post on social media in community groups or public forums about their willingness to be a “grocery buddy” and help a family at risk of losing SNAP benefits. The poster asks those interested to send them a private message. Together, they find a grocery solution that makes sense for both parties.

Assistance may look different for each pairing: In some cases, “grocery buddies” do the shopping, while in others, they accompany one another to the supermarket and shop together. Some “grocery buddies” provide their counterparts gift cards, giving them agency and control in a time of uncertainty.

In recent days, the grassroots effort has spread, as messages offering and seeking assistance are cut, copied and pasted throughout communities big and small, connecting neighbors and finding those in need tangible help.

This week, faced with the prospect of losing SNAP assistance and the stress of the holidays around the corner, Gabrielle, a West Virginia resident, reluctantly raised her hand in a community Facebook group.

“I kind of almost didn’t want to comment because I knew other people were going to see it,” Gabrielle said, adding she didn’t want to be judged based on her situation.

Ultimately, she decided it was worth a shot if it meant helping her family.

‘It’s what I would want done for me’

A key pillar of the nation’s safety net, SNAP provides enrollees with an average monthly benefit of $188 per person, as of May. But amid the government shutdown, the US Department of Agriculture has said it doesn’t have the funds to pay $8 billion in food stamp benefits for November.

When beneficiaries will feel the impact varies, since states typically provide the benefits on a rolling basis during the month. Some will miss their payments as soon as Saturday, while others won’t be hit until later in November.

There aren’t many good alternatives: While Americans can turn to food pantries and other food assistance programs, recent years have seen these groups under pressure from rising food prices and increased need.

“Now more than ever, community aid is going to be very important,” Micah Iverson, a resident of Hatteras Island, North Carolina, told CNN. “At the end of the day, we’re all on the same team here.”

Iverson posted on Sunday about his desire to serve as a “grocery buddy” for someone in his tight-knit community. He was floored by the responses of people in need, he said, but also the willingness of others to help further his cause and donate additional funds.

A neighbor of Iverson’s reached out to him on Facebook and connected him with his grocery buddy, a single mother of four. After a few messages were exchanged, the 31-year-old went to his local Food Lion and ticked away at the items on the mom’s grocery list.

To pay, Iverson said he used a $300 gift card he won during office trivia, turning it into a fridge full of food.

Later that evening, within hours of his initial post, Iverson was dropping off a trunk full of groceries to the mom after she got off work, he said. Upon meeting, the strangers – now friends – “hugged it out” as tears filled his eyes, he said.

“It’s what I would want done for me,” Iverson said, adding he and his husband plan on helping the same family as long as their own financial situation allows.

‘I encourage others to consider this if you can’

Kristin Schmidt knows what it’s like to be hungry and on the receiving end of a wholesome meal. Now, she’s honored to be the one doing the giving.

The minister of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Silver Spring, Maryland, told CNN she was inspired by a friend’s social media post looking for a “grocery buddy” and decided to do the same in a Facebook group for local moms.

“If SNAP benefits run out in November, I would be happy to provide groceries for you and/or your family,” she wrote, adding, “I can only afford to take on one grocery buddy, but I encourage others to consider this if you can.”

About one in eight Americans receive help from SNAP, according to the latest data from the US Department of Agriculture. That statistic haunted Schmidt, who said she would be unable to sleep at night if she didn’t do something to help.

Her motivation “comes out of a deep, core belief in the preciousness of every single person,” she said, “and wanting to make sure that the people in my neighborhood have what they need – just as a basic human right.”

Over the past few days, the mother of three was overwhelmed by the number of comments on her original post. And she said she was inundated with messages from other people wanting to offer help to their neighbors.

After meeting and connecting in person, Schmidt said she plans to continue supporting her new “grocery buddy” – a disabled grandmother relying on SNAP to feed her grandson – through supermarket gift cards.

“My community would be less if she didn’t get the support that she needs,” Schmidt said.

Meanwhile, Gabrielle hasn’t yet found a “grocery buddy” to help with her family’s immediate needs.

But she remains hopeful – and grateful that, through another community Facebook post, she was connected with a neighbor who offered to cover her family’s Thanksgiving meal.

For now, she said, that’s one less worry on her plate.

The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2025 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.