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When Government Fails, NCJW Steps Up: Local Advocates Mobilize Nationwide to Feed Families as SNAP Benefits Remain Suspended

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Tuesday, November 4, 2025
PRESS CONTACT: press@ncjw.org

WASHINGTON, DC — As millions of Americans enter their fourth day without full Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits due to the ongoing government shutdown, National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW) local sections across the country are mobilizing to fill the gap left by federal inaction. From coast to coast, NCJW’s 48 sections are organizing food drives, raising emergency funds, and partnering with food banks to ensure their communities don’t go hungry while Washington remains gridlocked.

“Jewish tradition teaches us that feeding the hungry is not optional — it is a sacred commandment,” said Laila Hirshfeld, NCJW’s director of engagement and leadership. “Our government — both the administration and Congress — has failed to meet its most basic obligations, and while NCJW will continue to advocate for them to do what is right, we are inspired by our sections who are living our values every single day. From California to Florida and Tennessee to the Great Lakes, NCJW advocates are stepping up because that’s what we do — we turn our values into action. This is tzedakah — doing that which is just and righteous — in its truest form.”

NCJW sections are taking immediate action in their communities to blunt the worst effects of this crisis on women, children, and families:

  • NCJW New York is continuing to meet the need in their community with their Monday Food Pantry, which just last week served over 350 individuals. In response to increased need, they’ve lifted the bi-monthly visit limit, allowing women, children, and families to access the Pantry as many times as they need in a month. They are raising money to meet this need and ensure they can provide for hungry New Yorkers;
  • NCJW Sacramento is collecting donations for the Sacramento Food Bank, which provides food to 110 partner organizations throughout the county, ensuring that SNAP recipients have access to nutritious food during this crisis;
  • NCJW Miami is urgently mobilizing their community of advocates to support Florida families facing food insecurity, organizing opportunities for advocates to donate food or volunteer with local food pantries;
  • NCJW Nashville is collecting donations for the Bellevue Community Food Bank and encouraging advocates to donate money or contribute food directly to families in need;
  • NCJW Chicago North Shore made an emergency appeal for donations to their NCJW Gives Back program to funnel contributions directly to Illinois food banks serving communities hit hardest by the SNAP suspension;
  • NCJW Colorado is holding a community education event on November 16 to raise awareness about food insecurity. In addition to collecting monetary donations, all attendees are encouraged to bring a can of soup to donate to the local food pantry; and
  • NCJW Los Angeles has transformed all seven of their Council Shop locations and their Donation Center into collection sites accepting food for the LA Regional Food Bank, leveraging their existing infrastructure to meet this emergency.

After NCJW called on the USDA to release multi-year contingency funds to restore SNAP benefits, the Trump administration yielded to a federal court order on Monday by agreeing to release contingency funds amounting to 50% of normal SNAP benefits for November, but fell short of committing funds to make the full payments — still leaving families scrambling to make up the financial shortfall.

“These grassroots efforts by NCJW advocates are extraordinary, but they should not be necessary,” said Darcy Hirsh, NCJW’s vice president of government relations and advocacy. “NCJW sections are doing what the administration has failed to do — protect vulnerable families from hunger. But local food banks and community organizations cannot replace a federal nutrition program that serves 42 million people. While we are proud of our sections’ responses, we continue to demand that the administration cover the remaining financial shortfalls that so many Americans are now facing due to the lapsing of SNAP benefits. Community charity is not a substitute for government responsibility. We need both — and right now, women, children, and families across the country need our government to do its job.”

The SNAP suspension has left millions of families scrambling to put food on their tables. As mothers and fathers choose to forgo meals to feed their children, we know that this crisis disproportionately impacts the very populations NCJW has championed for 133 years — children, seniors, and people with disabilities.

Fast facts on SNAP and the human toll from this government shutdown:

  • 42 million Americans rely on SNAP benefits, receiving an average of $187 per month in food assistance
  • 73% of SNAP recipients had a gross monthly income at or below the poverty level in fiscal year 2023
  • 83% of SNAP benefits go to households with children, elderly individuals, or people with disabilities
  • 16 million children depend on SNAP to help their families put food on the table
  • At least 25 states have already informed recipients they will not receive November benefits

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National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW) is a 133-year-old Jewish feminist civil rights organization working for equity and justice for women, children, and families in the United States and Israel. Through the efforts of our 250,000 grassroots advocates and 48 local sections, NCJW combines education, direct service, and advocacy to effect lasting social change at the local, state, and national levels. We approach our work through the intersections of gender, economic, and racial justice to center those most impacted in a uniquely Jewish way. Learn more at NCJW.org and on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

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