Wisconsin FoodShare program will run out of funding in 10 days; food banks prepare to ramp up

WEST MILWAUKEE, Wis. (CBS 58) -- A food assistance program that benefits hundreds of thousands of people in Wisconsin will run out of money at the end of this month, Gov. Tony Evers announced Tuesday, Oct. 21.

Evers and the state Department of Health Services (DHS) say the federally funded FoodShare program will run dry in 10 days, leaving about 700,000 Wisconsinites waiting for a new monthly balance on their Quest cards, which low-income families use to help pay for groceries.

The funding delay is due to the ongoing federal government shutdown. The Evers administration said it recently received notice from the Trump administration that “there will be insufficient funds to pay full November SNAP benefits for approximately 42 million individuals across the Nation” and “direct[ed] States to hold their November issuance files and delay transmission to State EBT vendors until further notice.”

At the Hunger Task Force, workers at one of the state's biggest food banks said they're ramping up efforts to ensure they can provide food pantries across the state with more meals.

"Hunger Task Force is prepared to fulfill emergency orders for food pantries if they see a spike in traffic," CEO Matt King said. "We've made additional food purchases to put ourselves in a strong position to be able to respond."

King said food pantries would likely feel the biggest impact of a sustained shutdown. The Evers administration said even if the shutdown ended immediately, FoodShare payments for November will be delayed.

If people are unable to buy groceries after exhausting what's left on their Quest cards, King said it would lead to a surge in traffic at food pantries.

"The food pantry network is really designed as a safety net to help people in an emergency," he said. "It's not meant to be the sole source of people's groceries for an entire month."

King added the extra traffic would come at a time when food pantries are already strained. He said most pantries around Wisconsin are seeing about 30% more visitors than at this time a year ago.

"A lot of people are really struggling with increased cost of living," King said. "In particular, steep increases in rent, rising grocery prices."

At the core of the shutdown is Democrats' insistence that a new federal spending plan include extensions of tax credits under the Affordable Care Act. Without an extension, health care costs would rise substantially for about 277,000 Wisconsinites.

Republicans in Congress have maintained negotiations on those health care credits should happen outside of the budget talks. The credits are set to expire at the end of this year.

The Evers administration said DHS will be reaching out to FoodShare recipients via mail this week to let them know about the approaching benefit delay. 

Funding for the Women, Infants & Children (WIC) food program is still stable and is not affected by FoodShare running out of funds.

Any Wisconsinite who needs additional food or infant formula for their house or family can reach out to 211 for information and referrals to local services. Anyone can use 211 to get help by:

• Dialing 211 or 877-947-2211.
• Visiting their website at 211wisconsin.communityos.org. Through the website, people can search for services or chat with someone online who can help.
• Texting their ZIP code to 898211.