Hundreds of thousands of Marylanders who rely on federal assistance for food will be left in a lurch starting this weekend.

Saturday will mark one month since the government shut down after Congress failed to reach a budget agreement. Now, federal workers have been left without pay, and subsidized programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, are running out of money. SNAP helps tens of millions of low-income Americans buy food.

Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown said on Tuesday he would sue the Trump administration because the federal government will not use money from a contingency fund to keep the program running. Gov. Wes Moore said the state would not fund the program during the lapse, either.

Here’s a look, by the numbers, at food assistance in Maryland and how it’s being impacted by the government shutdown.

680,000

The number of Marylanders who use SNAP benefits, which is about 1 in 9 Maryland residents, according to data from the Maryland Department of Human Services. About 270,000 of those who rely on SNAP are children.

Baltimoreans make up about 116,400 of those who use SNAP benefits, a majority of whom are children and seniors, according to data collected by the city in 2024.

Across the country, about 42 million people rely on SNAP.

$180

The amount that a Marylander will receive every month on average through SNAP to buy food.

Under a “moderate-cost food plan” for a family of four, monthly groceries can cost over $1,000, according to data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Nov. 1

While some participants may still have leftover funds on their cards, this is the date money will run out for SNAP.

New funding isn’t expected to be approved until the government shutdown ends. The shutdown, which started Oct. 1, is the second-longest in U.S. history as of last week.

$1.6 billion

The amount Maryland was expecting to receive for SNAP participants this budget year, which comes out to roughly $133 million per month.

$1,710,000

The total amount of money allocated toward food assistance in Baltimore, Mayor Brandon Scott announced on Tuesday. The funds are part of a larger package aimed at helping Baltimoreans who have been furloughed or are losing SNAP benefits.

79,696

The number of Marylanders subject to new work requirements so they can receive SNAP benefits since the One Big Beautiful Bill was signed into law in July. This law also reduced benefits for some participants who received energy bill and internet service assistance.

Immigrants with protected status and legal residents in the United States also had their benefits limited by the law.

118,400

The estimated number of people who were active participants in the Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children, or WIC, in Maryland in 2021, according to the USDA. It is not clear if the Trump administration will use federal money to keep WIC afloat after funds run out on Nov. 1.

43.6 million

The number of meals that the Maryland Food Bank helped distribute in fiscal year 2025. The food bank said Wednesday there has been a surge of phone calls and visits to its “Find Food” webpage, where people can search for food distribution sites near them.

The statewide organization has partnerships with food pantries, soup kitchens, shelters and other community organizations across Maryland. You can find the site closest to you here.

The Capital Area Food Bank also aids those in the area surrounding D.C. who need food assistance.

1939

This was the year the first “Food Stamp Program” was established in the United States as the country emerged from the Great Depression, according to the USDA. In 2008, it was renamed the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program to fight against stigma for those in need of the federal aid.

1 in 10

The proportion of Marylanders who worked for the federal government at the beginning of the year. Federal workers in Maryland faced significant layoffs at the beginning of the year, and many of those remaining are not being paid because of the shutdown.

The Maryland Food Bank and other organizations said many furloughed federal workers are seeking food aid during the shutdown. About 1,500 federal workers in the state have applied for Maryland’s Federal Shutdown Loan Program, the state said.

Clarification: This story was updated to clarify that immigrants with protected status and legal residents also saw benefits limited under the One Big Beautiful Bill.