“People are scared, people are terrified,” said Lisa Kimpflen, director of the Tupper Lake Community Food Pantry. “The people at the bottom of the food chain, if you will, who have no control, are at the mercy of this. This goes way beyond politics.”

On a normal distribution day, the pantry serves around seven to 10 households, Kimpflen said. The past three distribution days, they have seen at least 50. This includes at least 10 families who have never been to the pantry before, she said.

These fears, along with a surge in community efforts to address food insecurity, are the result of the ongoing federal government shutdown. Today, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program — which serves around 42 million Americans — was expected to run out of funds.

As of press time Friday, a federal judge ordered the Trump administration to pay for SNAP benefits while the government is shut down. Another judge ordered the administration to indicate whether full or partial SNAP benefits would be available by Monday.

Dylan Van Cott wrote a Facebook post asking people to drop off food donations at his house in Saranac Lake. On Wednesday, less than a day later, the box was already full. (Provided photo — Grace McIntyre)

However, Josh Stephani, director of the Adirondack Food System Network, said the food system is facing multiple threats that are likely to result in strain on local food pantries regardless. Federal funding for WIC is also expected to dry up today. New York has committed state funding to the program, but Stephani said it is unclear how long these funds will last. Federal funding for emergency heating aid — known as HEAP — is also threatened by the shutdown.

This is likely to force some families to choose between heating their homes and feeding themselves. The lapse in SNAP benefits is also a blow to the local economy, Stephani said. For the approximately $200 million that New York state spends on SNAP benefits, around $300 million is generated in the local food economy, supporting local farmers and businesses.

“There is no replacement for SNAP in our food system,” he said. “There’s no entity, there’s no food pantry, there’s no food bank that can bear the burden. There’s no local government or municipality that can bear the burden of replacing that program.”

On Thursday, Gov. Kathy Hochul declared a state of emergency and committed an additional $65 million in state funds to support food pantries. This includes funding for Nourish NY, which supplies food banks and other organizations with surplus agricultural products.

However, local food banks have already noticed a void left by both federal and state programs. Jim Koenig, who is president of Lake Placid’s Thrive and Thrift food pantry board, said the items available from the Regional Food Bank are already becoming more limited. The pantry also used to get fresh items from farms and other organizations, but these organizations have lost federal funding.

“We’re feeling the crunch on both ends,” Koenig said.

Kimpflen said that normally, they can get a large amount of food from the Regional Food Bank that is either subsidized or paid for by the USDA or other federal food programs. That money has dried up, and costs have skyrocketed for the pantry. The pantry also used to receive federal grants that would go directly to their account. Those grants were drastically reduced earlier this year and have now disappeared, she said.

The state also pitches in through the Nourish New York program. However, when Kimpflen ordered two weeks’ worth of food from the Regional Food Bank this week, she saw that none of the fresh produce and other items were available.

Local updates are being posted to the Essex County website, and locations of pantries and other resources can be found at tinyurl.com/4ubcmsrw. The state is posting information and updates about the SNAP program at tinyurl.com/7m94mrd6.

“They’re all fighting in Washington, and we’ve got people here and all over the country who don’t have enough food to feed their kids,” Kimpflen said. “And that’s wrong.”

However, local food pantries and residents from all walks of life are mobilizing to help fill in the gap. Here is how Tri-Lakes residents can find, or give, help.

–

Keene Food Mission

–

The Keene Food Mission, which was started by a resident and was later taken over by Keene Valley Congregational Church, provides grocery store credit and gift cards for residents in need. The best way to get in touch with them is to email the church at kvcc12943@gmail.com or call 518-576-4711.

The food mission volunteers also assist residents with navigating the system and applying for SNAP benefits. However, volunteer Nancy McArthur said many of the people they assist fall in the “SNAP gap,” where the benefits don’t go far enough in meeting their actual needs. SNAP benefits also come with some restrictions, so their credit and gift cards can be used for other essentials, like toiletries and household cleaning products.

McArthur said the pantry is gearing up to distribute Thanksgiving boxes to help people feed their families around the holiday. They would also like to do something similar around Christmas, and she said anyone who would like to help with that should reach out to the church.

Keene and Keene Valley residents can also give or receive help through the Elizabethtown Community Food Shelf, located at 20 William St. and open 5 to 7 p.m. on Mondays and Thursdays. McArthur, who volunteers in Elizabethtown, said people from all around the Eastern Adirondacks visit this location.

“If they’re close enough to help us, we’re close enough to help them,” she said.

–

Lake Placid

–

In Lake Placid, Thrive and Thrift food pantry normally serves between 30 and 40 households each week. On Friday, they served 67 families.

The pantry is open Fridays from 9 a.m. to noon. Anyone who can’t make it to the pantry at this time can call 518-302-5099 to arrange another pickup time.

Thrive and Thrift is also distributing Thanksgiving baskets from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Nov. 24. For these boxes, the pantry is looking for donations of boxed stuffing, canned gravy, canned vegetables, canned fruit and instant mashed potatoes.

Other pantry needs fluctuate, but there are some regular items that the Regional Food Bank doesn’t always have available, including toilet paper, toothpaste, soap, diapers and baby wipes. Other popular items include hot chocolate mixes and cake mixes, along with snack items for children.

Monetary donations are always appreciated since they allow volunteers to go out and get exactly what the pantry needs. Checks can be sent to P.O. Box 1475, Lake Placid. This week, the pantry was already running low on a lot of items and has been getting less food from the Regional Food Bank as well, so both cash and food donations are welcome.

Multiple local businesses and organizations will be organizing food drives in the coming weeks, including Capisce Coffee and Espresso Bar.

–

Saranac Lake

–

The Saranac Lake Interfaith Food Pantry is open Saturdays from 10 a.m. to noon or by appointment. Anne Cooney, a member of the food pantry board, said they will be continuing operations as normal. She said the Saranac Lake community is very generous and said she is certain people will step up to help.

Checks can be sent to P.O. Box 532, Saranac Lake, and food donations can be left at Grand Union or at the front doors of St. Bernard’s Catholic Church and the First Presbyterian Church. Residents can also call 518-891-7325 to arrange a time to drop off donations.

The Saranac Lake Joint Council for Economic Opportunity is open 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Mondays and Thursdays. This outreach is located at door 17 at Saranac Lake High School.

There are a few places for free or low-cost meals in Saranac Lake as well. There is a Community Lunchbox at the St. Luke’s Episcopal Church parish hall from 11 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. on Mondays and Thursdays. On Tuesdays, the Belvedere Restaurant serves free meals — in exchange for feedback on new menu items.

–

Tupper Lake

–

The Tupper Lake Community Food Pantry, located at 40 Marion Ave., is open from 9 a.m. to noon on Tuesdays, and from 1 to 4 p.m. on Thursdays. For assistance and more information, email tlcfoodpantryinc@gmail.com or call 518-359-3080.

Kimpflen said the pantry is changing its approach slightly to meet the increased need. Normally, they have a menu of items for each meal that people can choose from. However, for now, they will have basic bags for each meal with a few of the most popular items.

They are also planning on increasing the amount of food they provide at each visit — five days’ worth of food instead of three, adjusted for the size of the household. Kimpflen said they are prepared to adapt even further based on how the situation evolves.

The most helpful form of support is usually cash donations, since they allow the pantry to get what it needs. However, they are always welcoming food donations — just be sure to check expiration dates on items before donating. Staples like peanut butter, dry cereal, canned soups and proteins like beans are always in demand. Since they serve lots of elderly residents and families with kids, they also try to have things that everyone likes, such as juice.

Kimpflen also said people should not hesitate to seek help. Even though the pantry is likely to be serving more people, she doesn’t want anyone to decline help out of a sense of scarcity.

“We’re going to make sure that we keep going and we serve the community. We make sure we feed people, but people should not hesitate to come to us for assistance,” she said. “Maybe later on, when you don’t need help, then you can turn around to help us.”

–

Communities rally support

–

In addition to the efforts of food pantries, many other people are mobilizing in various ways to meet the needs that are expected to arise.

Dylan Van Cott, a Saranac Lake native who recently moved back to his hometown, said he was lying awake on Tuesday night and had an idea to offer his front porch as an additional collection spot for local food pantries.

“It felt like I needed to do something positive. Where can you take action and make a change most effectively? That’s in your community,” he said. “Saranac Lake is such a wonderful community — one of the reasons I chose to move back here and live here is that people would respond.”

His Saranac Lake Neighbor Helping Neighbor Facebook post was approved early the next morning, and by midday, the plastic bin on his porch at 56 Fawn Street was already full of food. The response from his neighbors was “overwhelmingly positive,” he said. The messages aren’t just appreciation — other community members began to immediately make helpful suggestions and concrete plans.

Beyond local resources, there is even a way for hunters to help out. The state Department of Environmental Conservation partners with Feeding New York State to donate venison to local food banks. For more information about this, including participating processors, visit feedingnys.org/hunters.

On Thursday, during their distribution time, Kimplfen said people were showing up with food and money. She was getting calls all day about food drives and cash donations. One restaurant offered to make food and another business brought her a check for $2,500.

“The Tupper Lake Community is amazing,” she said. “We have our plan in place, but the community here is really, really behind us.”