As the federal government reopens after the longest shutdown in our nation’s history, I feel compelled to express deep concern about the decision to release only half of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP. benefits for November. The government reopening does not erase the effect this had on our communities. For the people we serve at Easterseals, especially the veterans and families at Easterseals Veterans Rally Point, the consequences were immediate and devastating.
The 360,000 Connecticut residents who rely on SNAP were receiving only $93 instead of the full monthly benefit of $187 meant trying to get by on roughly $3 a day. For many, that simply could not be done. But for people with disabilities, seniors on fixed incomes, and veterans already navigating economic instability, this was not just difficult—it was dangerous.
At Easterseals Veterans Rally Point, our food pantry has already seen a sharp increase in emergency requests. Veterans who have proudly served this nation come to us in distress, not because of personal failure but because the support they rely on was suddenly cut in half. Many of our members live with service-connected disabilities, PTSD, or chronic medical conditions.
Reduced benefits force impossible choices: whether to pay for medication or groceries, whether to eat less so their children can have more.
Food banks and community pantries were never designed to replace the nation’s largest anti-hunger program. Yet during this shutdown and partial benefit restoration, that is exactly the impossible burden nonprofits have been forced to shoulder. Food insecurity should never again be used as a political bargaining chip. No child, senior citizen, or veteran should go hungry because elected leaders fail to act.
Easterseals Capitol Region & Eastern Connecticut joins nonprofit and civic leaders across the country in urging the following federal action:
Immediately release full SNAP funding and restore benefits to 100 percent levels.
Eliminate bureaucratic delays preventing states from distributing aid quickly and efficiently.
Protect SNAP and other nutrition programs from future shutdowns or political standoffs through bipartisan safeguards.
Affirm food security as a basic human right and never leverage it as a negotiable budget item or partisan wedge issue.
While we advocate for national solutions, we also take action locally. Easterseals Veterans Rally Point is holding our annual Warm Hearts, Full Plates Holiday Food Drive, supported by our partners, Premium Utility Contractor and M&T Bank volunteers We kindly ask the community to donate non-perishable food items to support the growing number of families and veterans facing food shortages this season. Donations are being accepted now through December 8th at the following locations:
Â
Warm Hearts, Full Plates Food Drive Drop-Off Locations
Easterseals Locations
• 100 Deerfield Rd., Windsor, CT 06095
• 22 Prestige Park Circle, East Hartford, CT 06108
• 24 Stott Ave., Norwich, CT 06360
Community Locations
• Oxford Town Hall – 486 Oxford Rd., Oxford, CT 06478
• Southbury Senior Center – 561 Main St S., Southbury, CT 06488
• Newtown Community Center – 8 Simpson St., Newtown, CT 06470
Partner Union Locations
• IBEW Local 42 – 20 Craftsman Rd., East Windsor, CT 06088
• IBEW Local 104 – 900 S Main St., Mansfield, MA 02048
For people with disabilities, seniors, veterans, and military families, the question is not political. It is painfully simple: Will they have the food they need this month? The answer must be yes.
At Easterseals Capital Region & Eastern Connecticut, we will continue doing everything in our power through advocacy, direct service, and community partnership to ensure they do. I call on readers, policymakers, and neighbors across our region to stand with us now. Let us commit to building a future where nutrition assistance is reliable, apolitical, and rooted in dignity for all who need it and all who have earned it.
Robin Sharp is president & CEO, Easterseals Capital Region & Eastern Connecticut