BOZEMAN — The government has now been shut down for a month.
“If the government shutdown continues, the impacts to our clients will reverberate,” said Jacy Clark, Community Relations Director for Reach Inc.
That’s because Reach Inc. clients are some of the more than 77,000 Montanans who could lose access to SNAP benefits starting Saturday.
“SNAP benefits are absolutely critical to our clients,” said Clark.
See how the government shutdown is affecting Bozeman's most vulnerable residents and what local nonprofits are doing to help families in need
Reach Inc. is a Bozeman non-profit serving adults with developmental disabilities.
“All of our clients are low income,” said Clark, who says 85% of Reach’s clients have jobs.
“They have other things to be concerned with,” she said. “Worrying about having dinner or lunch or a snack shouldn’t be their main worry."
As the future for SNAP benefits remains in limbo, so does the livelihood of Reach’s clients.
“They don’t have lots of income coming in somewhere where they can say ‘I’ll take from here to cover here,'” said Clark.
These impacts span the Gallatin Valley as a whole.
“This Tuesday, at our Gallatin Valley Food Bank, we had 220 families show up just for food boxes that day, which is a significant increase for us,” said Heather Grenier, the President and CEO of HRDC.
Grenier says the HRDC has been seeing record numbers both at their food bank and restaurant. “At our Fork and Spoon restaurant, we provided dinner to more than 200 people.”
Grenier says the HRDC knows of at least 1,500 families in the Gallatin Valley receiving SNAP benefits.
“It’s really how families are supplementing their income,” said Grenier. “So, losing that means something else has to give.”
Grenier says the other necessities people might not be able to afford without SNAP include medications and insurance. Now, the concern for both the HRDC and Reach Inc. is being able to keep up with the increasing demand for food.
“We certainly don’t have an inventory that will last for an extended period of time,” said Grenier.
Grenier and Clark say this has led to a need for community support.
“We turn through a lot of food on a given day, so we’re really relying on the generosity and kindness of the community,” said Grenier.
“This morning, we have already received a terrific donation of groceries,” said Clark.
If you’re interested in donating, visit the HRDC and Reach Inc. websites.
