The Maryland Food Bank plans to spend over $3 million in the next month to help food-insecure Marylanders as the federal government shutdown continues and funds for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program run out.

Still, Meg Kimmel, president and CEO of the nonprofit, said it won’t be enough.

The Maryland Food Bank and its network of partners are “always prepared to meet the demand,” said Kimmel during a news conference on Wednesday. “However, the loss of SNAP benefits has never happened before.”

SNAP participants will stop receiving their benefits on Nov. 1 as funding for the federal food assistance program stalls amid the ongoing government shutdown. About 680,000 Marylanders use SNAP to buy groceries, food bank officials said, including 270,000 children. The average monthly benefit is $180, according to the state.

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Kimmel said the organization would have to quadruple its efforts overnight to meet even 15% of the increased demand that the loss of SNAP is expected to create. She added that SNAP provides nine meals for every one meal the charitable food aid system can provide.

Meg Kimmel, president & CEO of Maryland Food Bank, at a press conference at the Maryland Food Bank headquarters on Oct. 29 talking about how the organization will try to fill the gap that will be left after Marylanders stop receiving SNAP benefits on Nov. 1.
Meg Kimmel, president and CEO of the Maryland Food Bank, said the nonprofit is working with its network of food pantries to meet demand. (Sara Ruberg/The Banner)

The food bank has seen an increase in phone calls, according to the nonprofit, and there were 4,000 visits Friday to its “Find Food” webpage, where people can search for food distribution sites near them. Kimmel said the organization has never seen those levels before.

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The Maryland Food Bank is putting its influx in buying toward grocery boxes for delivery, as well as food to be distributed to the nearly 800 pantries it partners with.

On Tuesday, Mayor Brandon Scott dedicated $1.7 million to food aid in Baltimore. He allocated $550,000 to the Maryland Food Bank to provide for Baltimoreans. About 25% of the food bank’s distribution already goes to Baltimore, Kimmel said.

SNAP has remained funded during past government shutdowns using contingency funds. Maryland’s Attorney General Anthony Brown said Tuesday he would sue the Trump administration because it refuses to tap the contingency fund for SNAP. Gov. Wes Moore has also said he would not use state funds to extend SNAP benefits without assurance of reimbursement.