By the time you read this, Day 27 will have passed. What probably won’t have changed is not knowing what will happen next as regards food insecurity. On 10/28/25, NC Attorney General Jeff Jackson and 22 other attorneys general sued the Department of Agriculture and the Office of Management and Budget for unlawfully withholding SNAP funding for 1.4 million North Carolinians. While our elected officials fight for the people, Anthony Smith provides some concrete ways to help your neighbors.

Dear Neighbor,

The need for food stamps in America isn’t an accident — it’s the result of how this country is set up.

We live in one of the richest nations on earth, yet millions of people can’t afford enough to eat. That’s not about laziness or bad choices — that’s about a system that keeps wages too low, rent too high, and basic needs out of reach.

Day 27 of the Shutdown. 

• Food stamps won’t be issued in November. 
• Food pantries are running low.
• Assistance is thin.

This is going to be tragic on many levels. I know too many folks who rely on food stamps for basic survival.

Over 40 million people.

Let that sink in.

That’s not a number — that’s families, children, elders, neighbors.

And desperate times call for desperate measures.

This will put an unsustainable strain on cities already buckling under poverty, housing crises, and unjust wages.

Some ways to survive and support:

• Look out for your people and ask what you can do.
• Check on family. Check on friends.

• Share meals — cook in bulk, split groceries, organize potlucks.
• Trade and barter — skills, rides, childcare, garden produce.
• Reach out to local churches, mosques, and community centers — many are opening emergency food closets and mutual aid funds.
• Start small networks on your block or building — food-sharing, gas-sharing, bill-sharing.
• Support local farmers and food co-ops — some are offering “pay what you can” options.
• If you’re stable, give — cash, gift cards, groceries. Every bit matters.
• We’ve got to move like community again — like our ancestors did when the system failed them.
• Look out for your people.
• Share what you have.
• Pray, plan, and prepare together.

We’re heading into a bumpy ride, America. But if we move with love and solidarity, we might just make it through this — together.

Maranantha. 

“Dear Neighbor” authors are united in a belief that civility and passion can coexist. We believe curiosity and conversation make us a better community.