Hunger is a big problem here in the Ocean State.
Even before the government shutdown, nearly 4 out of every 10 households statewide were struggling to put food on the table, according to the Rhode Island Community Food Bank.
The sudden disruption of food stamps because of the shutdown has made that crisis more urgent.
The Rhode Island Center Assisting those in Need (RICAN, for short) is part of a network of local food pantries doing their part to help.
RICAN is privately funded and open to anyone who lives in Washington County. It runs a drive-thru food pantry in Charlestown several times a week. On a recent morning, cars were lined up all down the block ahead of the food distribution.
“We feed about 2,500 mouths per month,” said RICAN’s executive director, Rachael LaPorte.
Among them, Kristen Castrataro. She’s a self-employed single mother with two teenage children. Her income level qualifies her family for SNAP benefits, but she’s not enrolled in SNAP. Instead, she’s a regular customer at the food pantry.
“Our primary source of food comes from here,” she said as she waited patiently in her car for her turn.
“We are not people who don’t want to pay our bills, who don’t want to work. We are working,” Castrataro said. “You know, that term ‘working poor’ is a real thing. We can work really long hours and still not make enough to pay our bills.”
Cynthia Silva, who has been volunteering at RICAN for more than a dozen years, says the lines are longer than ever these days. She and her husband Ed, both retirees, are happy to help. The two of them busily packed grocery bags
“It gives satisfaction to the heart to know that you’re helping people that are in need,” she said.
The number of people in need of help is increasing.
“We were already seeing a 33% increase in demand, year over year,” LaPorte said. “In the past month, that climbed another 25%. What that means is we’ve had over 550 new individuals sign up over the past month.”
She attributes the increased demand to the high cost of living. Even working people are struggling to make ends meet.
“It’s difficult to get a one-bedroom rental apartment for less than $1,500 a month,” she said. “That used to be a mortgage payment. There is this misnomer that only certain types of people use food pantries, and it’s really important that we understand it could be your next-door neighbor or the person that is checking you out at the grocery store.”
About 4,800 households, or about 9%, in Washington County receive SNAP benefits, according to the Economic Progress Institute think tank. Over 90,000 households statewide receive SNAP payments.
The Jonnycake Center of Westerly runs a food pantry of its own. It’s more like a grocery store, where residents of Westerly, Richmond, Charlestown and Hopkinton can pick up supplies they need twice a month.
Workers there, too, have seen a big uptick in demand.
“Because of the government shutdown, we’ve had a significant number of folks that are working still, maybe are seen as essential employees. They’re working but not receiving a paycheck,” said Jonnycake Center executive director Lee Eastbourne.
“These people don’t have the time to pick up another paycheck by Uber-ing, or DoorDash-ing, or picking up a part-time job to bring some revenue to their household,” he said. “It’s particularly challenging, so we’ve had a lot more people reaching out to us who have not been clients of the center before.”
One of those clients, who would not give her last name, said she and her family moved back to Westerly three weeks ago from South Dakota. Tammy said that she and her husband both recently lost their jobs, and because South Dakota imposes higher income eligibility limits on SNAP benefits than Rhode Island does, it made sense to move home.
Tammy said her husband has already found a job here, but she’s still looking for work as a Certified Nurse’s Assistant.
Her family of five — including her two children and her elderly mother — qualified for SNAP benefits immediately here, but not for long.
“The other morning, I woke up and checked my card. Balance: zero!” she said. “I’m like, okay, now what?”
She said she’s hoping SNAP benefits are restored soon or that she finds a full-time job. Preferably both. In the meantime, she’s thankful for the help she receives at the Jonnycake Center.
“We are super grateful for the pantries,” she said. But food is just one of her worries. The rising cost of her family’s health care coverage is also a major source of concern.
“I’m worried about Medicaid,” she said. “Every time you turn on the news it’s something else.”
Information on how to help RICAN can be found here.
