October 1 marked the beginning of the federal government shutdown after Congress failed to pass a funding bill. There are still “limited signs of progress” as we near November (CBS News).
In 2018-19, there was a 34-day shutdown that began in December. We are on day 30 as of today, and this shutdown has the potential to become the longest in history. The White House has a Government Shutdown Clock that keeps track of the economic impact and allows you to read “Your State’s Letters of Support for a Clean Continuing Resolution.”
The cost of this shutdown continues to climb; if it were to end today, it would already put the U.S. out 7 billion dollars (POLITICO). Oklahoma’s Gross State Product declines by $136 million every week, and federal workers who have been deemed essential have continued working but have been promised retroactive payment (Economic Impacts Document).
The Department of Agriculture will not be using emergency funds to keep up with food aid, which has caused a lot of controversy. Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) will not be providing money on Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) cards starting on November 1. Some schools have started helping by providing free meals for students and doing fundraisers. KOCO 5 has made a list of the participating schools: With SNAP benefits on the line, which Oklahoma schools provide free meals for students?
Churches and non-profits are also stepping up to support those in need across Oklahoma. Anyone can go to get meals, groceries or donate to these organizations.An article by The Oklahoman compiled a list of the churches and organizations: OKC families, food pantries brace for loss of SNAP benefits. Here’s where to find help.
Here at Santa Fe we have a backpack program, where students can fill out the Google Form to receive a bag full of meals, snacks and drinks every week. Margy White and Erin Axton organized the program with the help of a few Santa Fe parents.
“We started in September of this year,” Mrs. White said. “We have seen a steady increase in students signing up for the weekend meal bags.”
If you are interested in donating to Santa Fe’s backpack program, there is an Amazon wishlist, or people can bring items from the attached list up to the Welcome Center or have it delivered to the school.
