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Amid the highest food insecurity rates in nearly a decade, this government shutdown creates even more uncertainty for up to 2 million families in the United States—including many families in Eastern Missouri and Southwestern Illinois—and demonstrates how many people are just one paycheck away from needing support from their local food bank.
In our region, 1 in 7 people, including 1 in 6 children, live in food-insecure households. A prolonged shutdown will lead to many federal employees, active-duty military members and people who work for a federal contractor not receiving their expected paychecks, which could jeopardize their ability to put food on the table and cover other household expenses. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP), and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) will continue to be funded for now, but this is subject to change due to a prolonged shutdown.
Food banks like the St. Louis Area Foodbank, will be the first, and potentially only, option for assistance for thousands of people whose paychecks or federal benefits will be disrupted if a solution is not reached quickly.
What happens next?
Many government workers will be furloughed, although those providing essential services such as law enforcement and air traffic control will continue to report to their jobs. However, no federal workers will be paid until Congress approves a new spending bill. After the shutdown ends, workers will receive retroactive paychecks covering the days they were furloughed or had to work without pay.
This will create hardships for some government workers, as occurred during a shutdown that stretched for more than 30 days, starting on Dec. 22, 2018. During that stoppage, many federal workers turned to food pantries and other forms of aid to get through the several weeks when they didn’t receive paychecks.
We will continue to share updates and timelines on this page as more information becomes available.

the impacts of a government shutdown
Some people may not think that a shutdown is significant, knowing that paychecks for government employees would be reimbursed once the government “reopens”. However, according to a recent report, released by the Federal Reserve Board, nearly 4 in 10 people say they don’t have enough cash to cover a $400 emergency expense, and missing one paycheck could mean that they cannot cover the cost of food and household expenses without going into debt. During the 2018 shutdown that lasted 35 days, the St Louis Area Foodbank and our partner network, experienced an increase in the demand for emergency food assistance; with many TSA workers, military members, and Federal contractors seeking help for the first time.
Whether it is hours, days or weeks, when paychecks are not received, families turn to food banks, and their network of partner agencies, for assistance to put food on their tables.


Food banks will continue to do all they can to serve their communities, but our food and funds can only go so far. A surge in demand for charitable food assistance brought on by a shutdown would be more than many already strained food banks could manage.


This shut down will have far-reaching impacts on everyday Americans as services and support are disrupted due to a shortage of workers, such as air travel managed by the FAA and airport security managed by TSA.
Government workers are affected when they are either furloughed without pay or forced to work without pay because they are exempt from furlough until the shutdown is over.
Help those who are impacted by the shutdown
We are committed to doing all we can to help support families during this challenging time.
If you can help the Foodbank with a financial donation to help support families in our region please visit: https://stlfoodbank.org/give-help/.
Use Feeding America’s simple template to email your Members of Congress. Tell them why fighting hunger is a priority they should care about.