South Bend Common Council Member Dr. Oliver Davis has filed a resolution calling for an emergency hearing on the growing hunger crisis caused by the federal government shutdown.

Nearly 20,000 South Bend residents-about one in five-could lose access to SNAP food assistance.

The resolution urges the Council’s Personnel and Finance Committee to meet with the Department of Administration and Finance to discuss using city cash reserves, including General Fund and Rainy Day funds, to provide temporary relief for affected families, seniors, and children.

In Elkhart COunty, food pantries are bracing for a major surge in demand as federal SNAP benefits lapse during the ongoing government shutdown.

The Community Foundation of Elkhart County is stepping in to help more than 60 local pantries through its “Hunger Ends Here” initiative – coordinating food orders, sharing resources, and improving communication.

Officials say pantries could see four to eight times their normal need as families lose federal grocery assistance.