With SNAP benefits set to be delayed amid the government shutdown, local food pantries are trying to be the “safety net for the safety net.”
Among them is Grow it Forward in Manitowoc, which has been working to supply Manitowoc County residents in need with healthy food since 2018.
Founder and CEO Amber Daugs tells SeehaferNews.com that she has no idea how many more people will be coming to them for help with November funds not being deposited into accounts, but they are expecting an influx of people, on top of the drastic increase they have seen in recent months.
“Right now, we are seeing a 44% increase in attendance of our food pantry over last month,” she revealed. “That equates to a little over 164 more individuals being served.”
While local food pantries, including Grow it Forward, are more than happy to help those who need help, the issue is that they are a drop of water in the ocean when it comes to how they can help.
Amber noted specifically that the SNAP program provides nine times the number of meals a food bank can.
“We’re talking about $1,000,000 in our local economy spent this last month on SNAP benefits. That’s an average of $4.91 per person per day,” Daugs explained. “That’s not really a substantial amount of food that we’re talking about here for households.”
Over 7,500 Manitowoc County residents utilize SNAP, according to the 2025 FoodWIse Year-End Report, so Amber is encouraging those who are able to donate not just to Grow it Forward, but also to Peter’s Pantry and the Salvation Army of Manitowoc County.
“Grow It Forward has something called ‘The Shore Fund’, which is a collective fundraising mechanism to provide healthy local food to our pantries directly here in Manitowoc County,” Amber noted. “That is being shared, and we are already making local purchases through that program.”
Amber also praised the local farmers they have partnered with, specifically Misfit Homegrown, Sullivan Family Farms, and Wilfert Farms, as well as larger companies like Lakeside Foods.
You can learn more about how you can support the local food pantries by visiting Grow-It-Forward.org, PetersPantry.org, and SalvationArmyUSA.org.
Other local organizations are also looking to help those who will be affected, including Jenn’s Java, which has set up a table in the back hall with free food items for those in need.
