40,000 Manatee County residents impacted by SNAP benefit delays, experts say
An estimated 40,000 Manatee County residents will go without Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits starting in November.
On Saturday, federal funding for SNAP is expected to run out due to the ongoing U.S. government shutdown, according to the Associated Press. The outlet reported the SNAP “program helps 1 in 8 Americans buy groceries.”
SNAP benefits, which are commonly referred to as food stamps or EBT cards, are a monthly allowance to pay for food and other groceries. SNAP is the largest anti-hunger program in the country — supporting more than 40 million people, according to Feeding America.
The United States Department of Agriculture posted a notice on its website warning that benefits will not be issued starting in November.
“Bottom line, the well has run dry,” the USDA notice says. “At this time, there will be no benefits issued November 01.”
In Manatee County, about 20,000 households rely on the federal program, said Thomas Mantz, president and chief executive officer of Feeding Tampa Bay.
40,000 in Manatee impacted by SNAP delays
Republican leaders, including USDA officials, have blamed Democrats for the shutdown. On Tuesday, Democratic lawmakers from 25 states and the District of Columbia filed a lawsuit to force President Donald Trump’s administration to use $5 billion in SNAP contingency funds, according to the Associated Press.
In Florida, Democratic lawmakers wrote a letter, urging Gov. Ron DeSantis to help roughly 3 million Floridians set to lose SNAP benefits, according to WLRN.
Feeding Tampa Bay, which distributes about 1.9 million meals per week across its 10-county region, expects a 30 to 50% distribution increase after the SNAP benefits are paused, Mantz said. In Manatee County, Feeding Tampa Bay provided near 79 million meals in 2024.
Meals on Wheels Plus of Manatee County, which services more than 95 food pantries and reaches 25,000 people per week locally, has already seen an increase in demand.
“Those pantries are reporting as much as a 50% increase year-over-year, and that’s obviously a very significant number,” Meals on Wheels Plus of Manatee County vice president of development Amy Towery said. “So as we look to Saturday and the potential pause on funding, we’re very concerned about the thousands of children and senior families that will be without basic food.”
Mantz said most people using SNAP are employed — key exceptions include seniors and children.
“They’re a part of our economy,” Mantz said. “So if you think about one of the great things about Tampa Bay is we’re a wonderful tourist economy, great restaurants, we have wonderful concert arenas and sporting venues. All of those terrific assets are generally staffed by people who don’t make enough to survive and SNAP becomes an important vehicle to them.”
Food resources in Manatee County
For a full list of food pantries partnered with Meals on Wheels Plus, visit MealsOnWheelsPlus.org.
To find a Feeding Tampa Bay distribution area, visit FeedingTampaBay.org and click the Find Food button. From there, enter the zip code to find the distribution place.
This story was originally published October 31, 2025 at 5:50 AM.
