If the government shutdown continues, people who rely on SNAP and WIC may not receive their full food benefits starting November 1, 2025.
SNAP is the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also known as food stamps. It provides food benefits to low-income families to supplement their grocery budget so they can afford the nutritious food essential to health and well-being. WIC is the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children. It’s a short-term program that safeguards the health of low-income women, infants, and children up to age 5 by providing food, nutrition education, and healthcare referrals.
Without immediate action, families that are already stretched thin may be forced to make impossible choices between food, rent, medicine, and heat as the cold months and holidays approach.
Food is not optional. Every person deserves food security, not fear.
ACTION ALERT
Take Action: No One Should Go Hungry!
SNAP feeds about 42 million people (one in eight Americans), including 16 million children, 8 million older adults, and more than 4 million people with disabilities. WIC supports nearly 7 million pregnant and postpartum women, infants, and young children. Even short disruptions can harm a child’s nutrition and development.
Congress must act now to prevent people from going hungry.
They must:
- Reverse harmful cuts to SNAP.
- Roll back expanded work requirements passed earlier this year that threaten people with disabilities, older adults, parents, and caregivers.
- Restore funding for other programs that help feed communities, including the Emergency Food Assistance Program, the Local Food Purchase Assistance Program, and the Local Food for Schools Program.
WEBINAR
SNAP, The Shutdown, and Our Community:
Advocacy and Resources to Protect Food Security
Thursday, November 6 | 12:00PM
The Arc of Massachusetts invites you to a webinar on how the ongoing government shutdown is disrupting the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and what that means for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and autism.
We’ll share up-to-date information, state resources, and advocacy tools to help families stay informed and supported during this uncertain time.
FOOD DRIVE
SNAP Benefits are set to expire on November 1. 1 million people in Massachusetts rely on SNAP – including 300,000 people with disabilities. Join The Arc of Massachusetts in our food drive to help those who need it most.
Bring nonperishable foods (eg., canned foods, pasta, rice – anything shelf-stable) to The Arc’s Waltham office Monday through Friday from 9:00AM – 2:00PM.
Let’s make a difference as a community, for our community and beyond.
📍The Arc of Massachusetts – 217 South Street, Waltham, MA 02453
⏰ Monday through Friday | 9:00AM – 2:00PM
FOOD RESOURCES
Do you want to help in additional ways? Group homes are also reliant upon SNAP benefits. The Arc of Massachusetts has put together a list of food banks, pantries, and other food resources within the local areas of the 17 chapters of The Arc in Massachusetts.
View the list of these locations online.
Download a copy of the list here.
Additional resources are available from The Arc of the United States here.
