Palmetto State SNAP recipients may not get their upcoming benefits on time should the federal government shutdown continue into November.
The South Carolina Department of Social Services announced that it was instructed to "hold November 2025 SNAP issuance files" until told otherwise; the United States Department of Agriculture notified SCDSS on Oct. 10 to make the hold.
"Until there is a resolution in Washington, D.C. and the federal government is funded and reopens, SCDSS will not be able to provide the federally funded benefits to new and on-going SNAP households until further notice," the state department said in a Wednesday afternoon release.
More than 260,000 households throughout the state may not receive the needed food assistance on its usual schedule.
The announcement came 22 days into a federal government shutdown amid a dispute in Congress on health care. This means there are only 10 days until the shutdown leads into November.
And it is also 10 days until Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program recipients are at risk of having their benefits officially go off schedule.
Prior to the announcement, food pantry, food bank and food distribution leaders had already worried for potentially paused recipients. With the update released, one group sat at the top of their minds: seniors.
Harvest Hope is South Carolina's largest food bank and works across 20 counties in the Midlands, Pee Dee and the Upstate. CEO Erinn Rowe said the timeliness of the announcements gave too short of a turnaround, especially for people who cannot immediately find a job to supplement the loss of benefits.
"My mother-in-law — she's qualified for SNAP. She can't go a get a job by next week to make up for it, and that's a lot of the way she's feeding herself," Rowe said.
The state reported 127,907, or 22.8%, of SNAP recipients as of September 2025 were older than 51 years old.
Foodshare South Carolina Executive Director Omme-Salma Rahemtullah backed Rowe's concern. While not a food bank, the organization helps provide fresh produce to areas without easy access to the option.
The group has delivered to several senior living facilities and collected payments through EBT cards. Rahemtullah said current options provided for seniors, like 18 pounds of produce for $5, would not be feasible without a nutrition program.
"Those seniors are really going to be hit the hardest by this," she said. "I don't know how they're going to be able to make up that difference. They're going to have to use the very limited cash they have."
The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities estimated the average SNAP benefit per person will be $188 a month in fiscal year 2026.
And as community resources prepare to assist, they, too, have run into complications.
Rahemtullah said Foodshare South Carolina was already in the process of adapting to the upcoming seasonal change; food pantries, food banks and other distribution centers in the country see an increase in traction throughout the holidays.
But she worried for the sustainability of operations without an influx of donations.
"We're definitely trying to reach out to the philanthropic community," she said. "We certainly are not set to provide free produce."
Harvest Hope's Rowe said the fast-moving pieces are a challenge for both SNAP beneficiaries and food banks to adapt to.
"It's like any disaster we respond to," she said. "Our goal is to make sure people have food."
South Carolina is home to 560,127 individuals who receive SNAP benefits, according to SCDSS reports. More than 10% of residents in counties like Richland County, Aiken County and Kershaw County receive SNAP benefits.
SCDSS confirmed that existing EBT funds can still be used at approved SNAP retailers. The state provides a food access map for those in need.
