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A little more than a year ago, Ryan Sprankl welcomed Pres. donald trump In one of the three grocery stores his family owned. pittsburghTrump was on the campaign trail; He talked about high grocery prices and republican The nominee picked up a bag of popcorn.
But these days, if Trump or any lawmaker were to visit his store, Sprinkl would have a different message. He wants them to know late snap His customers and his small, independent chain lost profits during the government shutdown.
“You can’t take away the rights of the nation’s neediest people. That’s inhumane,” Sprankle said. “It’s a lack of empathy and it plays into the hands of all of them.
The Trump administration halted funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program in late October, affecting food access for about 42 million Americans. On Monday, the U.S. Senate passed legislation that would reopen the federal government and replenish SNAP funds, but the U.S. House of Representatives still must consider the bill. It’s unclear when SNAP payments might resume if the government reopens.
In 2024, SNAP recipients will receive slightly more than $96 billion in benefits, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which administers the program. Most – 74% – was spent in superstores and supermarkets, a category that includes large chains. wal-mart And Kroger but also some independent stores like Sprankle.
About 14% was spent at small grocery and convenience stores, businesses often hidden in neighborhoods and more easily accessible to SNAP beneficiaries.
a stalled economic engine
Catherine Cousin, former director of the United Nations World Food Program and founder of the nonprofit Food Systems for the Future, said the cuts to SNAP benefits had an immediate impact on grocers and convenience stores of all sizes, most of which operate on modest profit margins of 1% to 2%.
“SNAP isn’t just a social safety net for families. It’s also a local economic engine,” Cousin said. “SNAP benefits flow directly into neighborhoods, stores, regional distributors, and community jobs.”
Walmart declined to comment on the impact of the SNAP funding lapse, but said it was lowering prices and donating to local food banks. Kroger also declined to comment.
Sprankle said shoppers not getting their food benefits impacts all retailers, but it becomes “a bigger problem more quickly” at smaller chains. According to Sprankle, his Kittanning, Pennsylvania store gets 25% of its revenue from SNAP, but customers who don’t receive government assistance are also worried about the closure. They’re spending less, trading up to cheaper goods or turning to food banks, he said.
Sprankle said lower sales would cut into overtime he could pay the chain’s 140 employees. Many people are worried about losing their jobs, he said.
“They have families to feed, they have kids to buy gifts for,” he said. “If I have to sell my truck, we’ll give a Christmas bonus.”
Liz Abunav, owner and operator of Forty Acres Fresh Market in Chicago, recently watched a customer put an entire cart of groceries back because she couldn’t afford them without SNAP.
Abunav opened the supermarket in September after selling produce at pop-up markets and delivery boxes for several years. About 12% of Abunav’s revenue currently comes from SNAP benefits, he said. But without it — or if SNAP recipients spend less money in his stores — it would slow Forty Acres’ growth and make it harder to pay the workers, suppliers and farmers who depend on it, he said.
“SNAP is currency. I get money that I use in this economy. It’s not a lunch box,” Abunaw said. “SNAP’s economic impact is bigger than dollars spent.”
From neighborhood shops to food outlets
The suspended food aid also had an immediate impact on Combe Markets, a nonprofit that supplies coolers to 110 convenience stores around Kansas City, Missouri. Founder and CEO Maxfield Kaniger said Kanbe distributes a mix of donated food and food purchased from wholesalers to keep prices low.
Kanbe also distributes free meals to 50 food pantries and soup kitchens across the city.
Kaniger said some of the convenience stores he works at saw sales drop as much as 10% in the days after Nov. 1, when SNAP benefits were not paid. At the same time, the food pantries it supplied asked for double or triple their normal orders.
Because it is serving more food than usual, Kanbe has to spend more on purchasing produce for its stocked coolers. This is frustrating for Kaniger, who must make a quick decision before the food spoils.
“It should be enough that people are living without food. Period, end of punishment. It is wrong for people to be living without food,” he said.
Babir Sultan sells kanbe berries, lemons, potatoes, bananas and other products at its four Fawtrip convenience stores in the Kansas City area. His stores are in food deserts, he said, far from other groceries or large retailers, so it’s important for him to stock fresh produce specific to those areas.
Sultan said the number of customers at his stores dropped 8% to 10% in early November after SNAP funding stopped. She decided to give $10 of free produce to SNAP beneficiaries, but said she’s also happy to help other customers who are struggling right now.
“If you need, just ask, we will take care of you,” said Sultan. “Whenever a customer experiences distress, everyone is affected.”
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Durbin reported from Detroit. Associated Press data journalist Kasturi Pananjadi in Philadelphia contributed to this report.