ALLENTOWN, Pa. - As the federal government shutdown continues, an emergency is spreading through our neighborhoods — one that will hit our most vulnerable families first but ultimately ripple through every corner of the Lehigh Valley.
On Nov. 1, if the shutdown persists, SNAP benefits (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) — our nation’s main food assistance program — will be suspended. Here at home, that means hardship for many: 60,088 residents in Lehigh County, 34,888 in Northampton County, and 9,801 in Carbon County rely on SNAP each month to put food on the table.
That’s nearly 105,000 of our neighbors — including one in four children — who could suddenly lose their grocery budgets overnight.
Meanwhile, WIC (Women, Infants, and Children) funding — which supports pregnant women, infants, and toddlers with formula, milk, and healthy foods — is also on uncertain footing. It is estimated the program only has contingency funding to continue operating until Nov. 9, with no clear promise or plan of continuing operations beyond that day. For families who depend on it, that uncertainty is terrifying.
These programs do more than fight hunger — they sustain local economies. Every dollar spent through SNAP circulates through grocery stores, farmers’ markets, and local supply chains. According to Moody’s Analytics, each $1 in SNAP benefits generates about $1.67 in economic activity. When those dollars vanish, the effects ripple outward: stores lose business, local farmers lose buyers, and jobs in food distribution and retail are threatened.
In communities already burdened by high food prices, those losses could push small grocers — especially in lower-income neighborhoods, both urban and rural — to the brink. Closures of those stores create new food deserts, compounding the very problems programs like SNAP and WIC were designed to solve.
Coalition rising amid crisis
When federal safety nets falter, the charitable food network becomes the community’s last line of defense — and in the Lehigh Valley, that defense is powered by collaboration, leadership and shared purpose.
The Critical Food Providers Action Team, a group of local charitable food leaders who are co-leading a response strategy alongside the Lehigh Valley Community Foundation (LVCF) and United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley (UWGLV), is joining forces to respond together.
This coalition isn’t just reacting — it’s planning, aligning, and working to build a more resilient, connected charitable food system. Even as supply chains tighten and funding dries up, these organizations are pooling data, coordinating bulk-buying and distribution, and leveraging collective resources to make sure food gets where it’s needed most.
At a moment when stability is needed most, financial uncertainty is cascading down to the very organizations working on the front lines.
But the challenges are immense. Reductions in federal programs like The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) and Local Food Purchase Assistance (LFPA) have already limited the amount of food available. What once came as multiple truckloads a week is now less predictable, even as demand surges.
These national challenges are magnified in Pennsylvania by the ongoing state budget impasse, which has delayed critical funding to counties, human services agencies, and nonprofits. At a moment when stability is needed most, financial uncertainty is cascading down to the very organizations working on the front lines.
The charitable food system was never meant to replace federal nutrition programs — only to complement them. Yet increasingly, this local network of partners is carrying the weight, doing the impossible to keep families fed.
In the Lehigh Valley, that means food access partners — from large distributors to small community pantries — are operating under unprecedented strain. Yet even amid this perfect storm of federal shutdowns, state gridlock, and relentless need, the sector is standing together to protect their neighbors from hunger.
A call to lead. A call to care
At LVCF and UWGLV, we have witnessed the extraordinary power of collective generosity and shared leadership in action. Our local food access partners are not waiting to fix the problem — they are coming together to build solutions right here, right now.
While we await government action, we can act as a community. If you already help your local food pantry, either with financial donations or volunteer time, thank you. Your generosity is critical. (If you have capacity to increase your contributions, if only briefly, please do so.) Otherwise, please consider donating to the newly formed Critical Support Fund, either through the Lehigh Valley Community Foundation or through the United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley. (Note: Critical Support Fund).
Many hands are needed, and the Volunteer Center Lehigh Valley can help connect you with numerous one-time and ongoing volunteer opportunities to pitch in during this crisis. Every can of beans, every dollar, every volunteer hour matters.
The Lehigh Valley’s greatest strength has always been its unity and compassion — its ability to rally together when times are hard. This is one of those times. Let us be the region that leads with empathy, collaboration, and action.
The health of our neighbors — and the future of our community — depend on it.
Erika Petrozelli is president and CEO of the Lehigh Valley Community Foundation. Marci Lesko is president and CEO of the United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley.