Chuck Moore said he was more nervous than he had ever been in his 22 years working with Food Pantry Network of Licking County (FPN).
Moore, the executive director of the FPN, fears that the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits could be suspended on Nov. 1 if the federal government shutdown continues.
The suspension would impact 19,169 SNAP recipients in Licking County—about 10.63% of the county’s population as of Sept. 2025.
The ongoing government shutdown—which started on Oct. 1—has put about 42 million Americans who rely on SNAP at risk of losing food.
SNAP, commonly known as food stamps, helps lower-income households access nutritious food through benefits distributed electronically in the form of the Ohio Direction Card, which functions like a debit card. In Ohio, a family of four with a household income of up to $64,300 qualifies for SNAP benefits, which is a vital source of support for approximately 1.4 million Ohioans who struggle to afford or access food.
Another vital source of support for those facing food insecurity: the FPN. “People don’t come to us because they want to,” Moore said. “They come to us because they need to.”
Moore said about 7,000 children in Licking County receive food stamps, and the suspension of SNAP benefits would deeply affect almost 11% of the county’s total population. Senior citizens would also be among the hardest impacted, he said, as many rely on a fixed income.
“Will we be able to help everybody? Yeah, we’ll be able to help everybody. But are we able to cover what they’re losing? No. I don’t think there’s any way possible,” Moore said. “It’ll either be that people partially lose benefits or 100% completely lose them; the government hasn’t said exactly what it’s going to look like yet.”
Moore said that during the COVID-19 pandemic, additional federal funding was pushed toward food assistance, allowing the organization to store surplus supplies. With government shutdowns and potential cuts, those reserves are now “dwindling and dwindling.”
But there is hope.
FPN has begun preparing for the possible suspension of food stamps by setting aside “extra cash” to purchase additional food. Moore said the organization plans to buy more fruits and vegetables, ravioli and other essential items to help support families facing cuts to SNAP benefits in the coming months, especially with the holidays approaching.
Moore is also certain that the community in Licking County will step up to provide additional needed support to combat increased food insecurity.
“We’re going to put in a request for support, and we believe that during that time, the community will support us,” Moore said.
FPN’s mission is simple: to ensure that no family, child, or senior in the county goes hungry. Through a network of pantries, markets and partner programs, the organization distributes thousands of pounds of food every month to households facing food insecurity. They provide more than 3,000 meals a day.
Read more: Licking County Food Pantry transitioning to more customer-centric service
As Moore explained, “What classifies a market is we’re going to try to offer you everything that we have with produce along with dairy, refrigerated, frozen and dry goods.” These pantries, spread throughout the county, act as lifelines for residents who might otherwise lack access to food.
In September alone, FPN served 13,000 individuals, including 41-year-old Alrena Throesch, who began visiting the pantry over the summer.
“I went to three pantries today,” she said, which should provide just enough food for her family for the week. “Life is going to happen no matter what.”
By the end of the third quarter, FPN had reached over 103,000 people—a 37.81% increase from the previous year.
FPN also helps soup kitchens, shelters, and after-school programs like the Christian Life Center, Holy Trinity Lutheran Church and the YMCA. The organization also runs backpack programs through the Boys & Girls Club and Camp O’Bannon to make sure kids have food outside of school.
To keep all this going, this organization gets food from the Mid-Ohio Food Collective, USDA, state programs and stores like Kroger, Walmart, Giant Eagle, Aldi and Target. In 2024, FPN distributed over 4.4 million pounds of produce, nearly 500,000 pounds of meat and 175,000 pounds of non-meat proteins such as peanut butter, beans and eggs.
Read more: Hungry kids, healthy communities
“This really lays it out for you,” Moore says. “Fresh produce, 4.4 million pounds of food. That’s pretty darn good stuff.”
Pataskala resident Steve English volunteers at FPN and sees the local need firsthand when he helps distribute food to those utilizing the pantry’s range of offerings. “We have regulars each week and we have at least 100 people in the first hour we open,” English said.
FPN recently changed its policy to remove limits on how much food families can take. While this change in policy caused a bit of hoarding at first, the pantry now runs more like a grocery store, which gives people the freedom to pick what they need most.
According to the Hunger in Ohio report, released by the Ohio Association of Foodbanks, “74.7% of households [visiting Ohio food pantries] include at least one member under 18, over 60, and/or disabled.” The report, published in August 2024, said those households are “particularly vulnerable” to food insecurity due to inflation, limited or fixed incomes and rising healthcare costs.
Without FPN, Licking County could face a serious crisis. Families may have to choose between paying rent and food; Children would go to school hungry; Seniors on fixed incomes might skip meals altogether.
“Inflation is affecting all of us, but we have the most vulnerable population out there that is being affected,” explained Alyssa Sheperd, funds development director at FPN. “My hope is that they [individuals in need] can rely on us.”
To learn more about FPN, access food resources or support its mission, visit foodpantrynetwork.net
Donna Chang, Brie Coleman and Nicole Krumholz write for TheReportingProject.org, the nonprofit news organization of Denison University’s Journalism program, which is supported by generous donations from readers. Sign up for The Reporting Project newsletter here.