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A Letter from the Desk of Jilly Stephens in Response to the Lapse in SNAP Benefits

SNAP Benefits Lapsed Today. Be a Lifeline for Your Neighbors.   

November 1, 2025

Today marks a devastating new chapter in the government shutdown: The federal government has stopped funding the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) for the first time in history. SNAP, formerly known as food stamps, is our nation’s most effective anti-hunger program—helping 1.8 million New Yorkers and millions more across the country feed themselves and their families—and a powerful economic driver at local grocers, farmers’ markets, and bodegas. City Harvest is doing everything we can to help our neighbors in need, and I am asking you to join us in doing more for New Yorkers experiencing food insecurity.  

The ruling late yesterday ordering the federal government to reinstate SNAP benefits highlights just how critical this program is for so many in our city and across the country. Our understanding is that it will likely take days, if not weeks, to pay November benefits—and they still might not be paid at all. Among so much uncertainty, one thing is clear: Our fellow New Yorkers who were counting on receiving SNAP benefits today will not be getting them. That’s why we are stepping up to ensure our neighbors are able to put food on the table in the days to come. 

This week, our trucks will be on the road delivering fresh produce and pantry staples like peanut butter and pasta to our food pantry partners in neighborhoods with the highest population of SNAP recipients. We have distributed 11,000 pounds of food at special distributions for impacted federal workers and have additional distributions planned for this week, all while maintaining our ongoing support to partner food pantries and our own Mobile Markets, which have already been seeing record high visits. We are preparing to distribute more than 1 million more pounds of food than we did last November so that our partners can meet the growing lines outside their doors. And we are only able to do this when generous friends like you step up with us.  

We are doing this so people like Dessairee, who recently visited City Harvest’s Sunset Park Mobile Market, don’t have to wonder if they’ll eat tonight. “I don’t know what I’m going to do [without food stamps],” the single mother shared. She added: 

“It’s going to be very hard to buy food, to celebrate Christmas, to celebrate Thanksgiving. It’s going to be really tough this year. I really depend on City Harvest. If we don’t have the food stamps, then I’m going to have to rely on City Harvest even more. What helps me and gives me hope is that I come here, and I get my free food. Hopefully I can stretch it out until everything goes back to normal.” 

If you would like to help Dessairee—and 1.8 million more of our NYC neighbors, each with their own story, who are depending on SNAP—here’s what you can do: 

  • Donate. This is the quickest, most effective way to help. Just $1 helps feed 2 New Yorkers in need for a day. 
  • Volunteer. We have opportunities in all five boroughs, including special food distributions for impacted federal workers. 
  • Participate in a food drive or start your own. It’s easy to set one up, or you can drop cans off at NYPD precincts, FDNY stations, and Apple Bank locations throughout the city. 
  • Share our Food Map, which shows free food distribution sites across all five boroughs.  

City Harvest is uniquely positioned to mobilize the impact of every dollar and rescue more food and deliver it where it is needed most. But we can only do this with your partnership. Will you help our neighbors in need put food on the table at this critical moment?  

In partnership, 

Jilly Stephens

City Harvest CEO

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