The 2025 government shutdown is now the longest in history. Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits have been cut, then ordered to be paid back again, but it’s still unclear how long it will take for payments to be fully funded.
“[SNAP is] basically money allocated from the government for low income households to purchase food,” school counselor Mary Peterson said. “You qualify based on your income level, and you get an allocation of a certain amount per month, and you can just go use that to buy your groceries. So it’s just a way to make sure that people who might struggle purchasing food have a way to do so throughout the month.”
At City High, 43% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch. According to Peterson, these students usually also qualify for SNAP under a regularly functioning government.
Ziggy Evans ‘27, one student whose family relies on SNAP benefits, has been significantly impacted by the shutdown.
“[My mom and I] have been on food stamps as long as I can remember, and without that extra money for groceries, we’ve both been pretty anxious,” Evans said. “Luckily, we have a solid support system to rely on, and we’ve both been lucky enough to pick up some extra hours at our respective jobs. It’s still scary though, and the stress of it all can get hard to manage.”
Usually, about seventy percent of Evans’ food is bought with food stamps. The rest is paid for out of pocket, mostly from a Social Security disability paycheck that their mother receives monthly. With food stamps, Evans and their mom are able to access fresh foods that aren’t often found in food pantries.
“Not having that access anymore definitely adds on extra stress for the both of us,” Evans said. “The fear and stress that this has caused us has definitely caused my academics to suffer because school just isn’t a top priority anymore.”
Community organizations have stepped up during the shutdown to aid families who normally receive SNAP benefits. For the first week of November, Hy-Vee served free kids meals and $3 meals for everyone else. As the shutdown continues, Hy-vee will keep offering these services until at least November 14. But there’s worry that it won’t be enough.
“If [the shutdown] continues, I think the food insecurity is going to get worse,” Peterson said. “Because right now, the community is rallying around it. But how long is Hy-Vee going to be willing to do $3 meals, and how much are people going to continue to donate as much food that’s needed into food pantries?”
When someone suffers from food insecurity and doesn’t have enough to eat, their brain won’t function properly because they’re not getting the nutrients they need.
“What happens to a person’s psyche is we’ll see them always anxious and stressed out and maybe really tired and worn down,” Peterson said. “Sometimes you’ll see behaviors of hoarding food…but I think mostly what happens for students [is that] they’re worried about food, and being in class is not what’s important anymore.”
Stalled SNAP benefits are not the only worry for City High students. For some with family members who work for the government, they have gone for over a month without a source of income.
“My dad is in the Air Force, so when the federal shutdown happened, my family was relying on only one paycheck, which came from my mom,” an anonymous City High student said. “[She] soon may lose her job at the VA because it is a government department, depending on the decision they make.”
Even in younger kids, the effects have been noticed.
“My mom is a teacher at Twain [Elementary School] and it’s making her really sad to see the kids she teaches be affected by this, because around half her class relies on SNAP,” another anonymous student said.
Without a reliable source of income, families have to shift the way they spend money.
“Maybe you have to choose between paying your heat bill versus food,” Peterson said. “It’s not an easy situation to be in because [those are both necessities].”
Despite a federal judge ordering the Trump administration to fully fund November SNAP benefits, the administration has remained adamant that there is only enough money in the contingency fund to partially pay receivers.
Until the government shutdown ends, many City High students remain uncertain about where their next meal or paycheck will come from.
“People like to ignore issues that don’t directly impact them,” Evans said. “But it’s not hard to look outside and see people struggling. Anyone can open up their eyes and see that the shutdown is impacting the people around them, [and] they just don’t want to because it’s uncomfortable.”
