As SNAP benefits run dry, 'grocery buddies' are footing their neighbors' food bills

Alicia Spradley (left) and her husband purchased groceries for a young SNAP recipient who may run out of benefits in Chicago on Oct. 30. Mustafa Hussain for NPR hide caption

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Mustafa Hussain for NPR

For Alicia Spradley, it all started with a quick prayer.

Spradley from Chicago had seen the news that federal food aid was pausing at the start of November due to the government shutdown. With local food banks already stretched thin, she worried that her neighbors might soon go hungry.

So, on Monday night, she closed her eyes and asked, "What can I do to help?"

A few hours later, she came across a post on a Facebook community group about becoming a "grocery buddy" — someone who buys groceries for a stranger or anyone at risk of losing their food benefits. Without hesitation, Spradley wrote her own callout, offering support.

Spradley says her desire to help comes from her grandmother, who often cooked for the community and provided meals to struggling neighbors. Mustafa Hussain for NPR hide caption

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Mustafa Hussain for NPR

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) said funding has run dry for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program — better known as SNAP or food stamps — past October. For nearly 42 million Americans who rely on the assistance, that means their debit-like EBT cards are at risk of not being refilled this month. Some states have committed funding to help fill the gap, but it's unclear how long the support can last.

On Friday, a federal judge ruled that the USDA must use emergency funds to keep SNAP going and ordered an update by Monday. It remains unclear how the Trump administration will respond.

In response to the limbo, there has been a wave of people nationwide on social media participating in an informal grocery buddy system until benefits are restored. Some "buddies" are sending gift cards, while others are shopping and dropping off groceries.

In her neighborhood of Rogers Park, Spradley said more than two dozen people replied to her offer — some asking for help themselves, others pointing to friends or neighbors who need the support.

"I did not think that in just a short period of time that we would get that much interest," said Spradley, who also runs Plate & Pathways, a small nonprofit that works to combat food insecurity.

Spradley picks out produce while shopping for SNAP recipients in Chicago on Oct. 30. Mustafa Hussain for NPR hide caption

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Mustafa Hussain for NPR

SNAP is the largest anti-hunger program in the country. Most of its recipients are seniors, people with disabilities and families with children. Similarly, Spradley said many of the people who asked for her help were elderly or working families who struggled to find the time to visit a local food pantry.

"I'm glad that people have the courage to reach out and ask for help," she said.

Hannah Coburn, a night-shift nurse in Spokane, Wash., felt the same way when she posted a callout on her private Facebook account. At first, most of the replies were from friends cheering on the idea. Then, a message popped up in her inbox: It was from an acquaintance she had met a few times at roller derby events.

"She said that it was really hard for her to reach out," Coburn said. "It didn't even occur to me that she would be someone who would lose that."

According to Coburn, the acquaintance said she had some money set aside for groceries but ended up using the funds for unexpected car repairs.

Coburn's takeaway is that anyone could be relying on SNAP benefits and sometimes, the only way to find out who needs help is to offer it first.

Spradley looks at her grocery list while shopping for people who rely on SNAP. Mustafa Hussain for NPR hide caption

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Mustafa Hussain for NPR

" I hope that more people see that and get an idea of like, 'Oh, I could do something and maybe it could be helping somebody that I actually know,' " she said.

Others say they were motivated to step in because they had experienced financial hardship firsthand. Karie Fugett, an author from Dothan, Ala., said she grew up on food stamps and, later in life, faced periods of living in her car and not knowing where her next meal would come from.

"I am lucky right now to be able to afford groceries, afford my rent, all of that, but I haven't forgotten that in the past that wasn't the case and that people helped me," she said.

Fugett is currently supporting two families on SNAP, totaling over $1,000. To do so, she said she plans to tap into funds that she saved to build her future house.

"I'll just figure out how to get that money back later," she said. "I don't need it in this moment and other people need things in this moment, so that's a priority to me."

Fugett also expressed frustration that families are at risk of going hungry as a result of lawmakers unable to reach an agreement to end the government shutdown.

"It's especially upsetting that it's because the people that we voted into office are not doing their job," she said.

Roughly 1 in 8 Americans receive SNAP benefits. Mustafa Hussain for NPR hide caption

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Mustafa Hussain for NPR

While grocery buddies offer immediate help, SNAP changes could cause long-term woes

In North Carolina's Outer Banks, Micah Iverson, a product manager and musician, said he recently dropped off groceries for a single mother of four children in his community. The experience gave him a new perspective.

"I've never bought baby diapers before," he said. "They're very expensive, in case you didn't know."

Iverson paid for the woman's groceries using a $300 gift card that he won at a trivia game. The night that he went to unload the bags into the woman's car, Iverson said they both were holding back tears.

" She kind of stopped me at the end and was like, 'I really didn't know what I was gonna do, so thank you,'" he said.

Although his gift card only lasted for one grocery trip, Iverson said he plans to check in and help out with groceries in a few weeks if SNAP remains stalled.

" We'll do this just until something changes," he said.

Spradley and her husband drop off groceries to a SNAP recipient in Chicago on Oct. 30. Mustafa Hussain for NPR hide caption

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Mustafa Hussain for NPR

The lapse in federal food and nutrition assistance isn't necessarily short-lived. Since the One Big Beautiful Bill Act passed in July, SNAP has faced budget cuts and stricter eligibility rules. Starting this month, states must comply with new work requirements to qualify for the aid — a change that could leave 2.4 million people without benefits.

Spradley in Chicago has been grappling with how to be a grocery buddy long-term.

" We're trying to figure this out as a community to make sure that we are not leaving anybody out and we are just coming up with things as we go," she said.

Earlier this week, Spradley said she met with a mother who was panicking over how to feed her seven children this month. She handed the woman some cash — pooled from her wallet and donations — and what happened next surprised her.

" She's like, 'Anything that you know I can do to help you guys, let me know,'" she said. "And it just moves me because here is this person in need and they are still trying to be of service to the community."

Spradley says this experience has been "bittersweet." She's grateful that she can help, but also upset to see many community members struggling as a result of the government shutdown. Mustafa Hussain for NPR hide caption

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Mustafa Hussain for NPR