SLU Students SNAP Back
With the recent interruption of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, students at St. Lawrence University and members of the Canton community have taken action to minimize the impact on our neighbors in the North Country.
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, is a federal program aimed at helping food-insecure individuals and families get access to nutritious food. In light of the current government shutdown, there is no federal funding to issue November SNAP benefits. This cannot be resolved until the federal shutdown ends or another source of funding is provided. With these restrictions, citizens across the country have voiced concerns about whether those living in poverty will still have adequate access to food. This issue hits especially close to home in St. Lawrence County, which has the sixth-highest poverty rate of any county in New York State by percentage.
For members of our school community, this issue may seem far removed, but for the SLU Campus Kitchens Project, it is just the extension of an ever-present issue. Due to the shutdown, CKP decided to broaden the reach of its yearly Hunger Awareness Week. Typically, they use their food donations to make weekly meals for the Canton community, but this year, they are collaborating with The Green House to contribute to Dustin Bowman’s ‘Feed Your Neighbor’ initiative, which donates dry and canned goods to those who rely on SNAP benefits.
Co-President of Campus Kitchens, Amelia Nicholas ’26, is encouraging students to contribute to the drive through CKP’s donation box outside of North Star Cafe in whatever ways they can. “If students have extra dining dollars or they’re over or even if they aren’t over, they can grab non-perishable food items to donate to CKP,” she said. Campus Kitchens will then either use those goods for their community meals or hand them out directly to those in need.
Nicholas also mentioned that more people have asked to join their meal list than ever before, which has been stressing their already thin resources.
Student and community donations will help ensure that Campus Kitchens can simultaneously donate to Bowman’s initiative while also sticking to their own mission. After all, according to Nicholas, these trying times are just “business as usual plus some extra time, effort and money.”
Not only are SLU students tackling this issue, but the broader Canton community is as well. According to Nicholas, many small businesses, such as Nature’s Storehouse, have taken to aiding the community by putting out free food tables in their stores. These tables encourage anyone who needs extra sustenance to pick from a variety of non-perishable goods.
Food-insecure community members can also turn to the Canton United Methodist Church for help. The Free Will Meal Program at the church offers first-come, first-serve meal giveaways on Wednesdays throughout the year, as well as weekly meal deliveries to a high-rise building in Canton. In the past year, Thadine Wight, co-leader of the Free Will Meal Program, has noticed an uptick in the number of people they are serving each week. “A year ago, we were probably doing 120 meals a week and then maybe it went to 135 and then in the spring, it started to bulge to 140,” she said. “This summer and fall, we’re seeing a lot in the 150 range.” However, she emphasized that this trend is not only due to the removal of SNAP benefits but indicates a long-term rise of food insecurity across St. Lawrence County. Wight also made it clear that donations and volunteers are always welcome at the church. “Unfortunately, we do not get very many cash donations. It’s a free will meal; we cannot charge people,” said Wight.
In order to bolster these programs and ensure their continuation both on and off-campus, Nicholas is encouraging SLU students to step up and help, whether it is through volunteering, donating money, or donating non-perishable food items. “I think everyone can just do a better job of using this unfortunate situation as a way to educate yourself and also get involved in the community,” she said.