LOUISVILLE, Ky. — As SNAP enrollment drops nationwide and in Kentucky, Louisville nonprofits say more families are turning to food pantries while supplies struggle to keep up with demand.
SNAP enrollment has fallen 11% nationwide, or by about 4.5 million people compared with the same time last year, according to theCenter on Budget and Policy Priorities. In Kentucky, enrollment fell 6.5%.
Dare to Care Food Bank, The Neighborhood House and chef Noam Bilitzer recently teamed up to help families make the most of affordable pantry staples, including lentils and dried beans. Bilitzer, owner of Meesh Meesh and Mill Iron 4, said he wants to make cooking fresh and nutritious foods feel less intimidating.
“I think there is a ton of food, produce, specifically fresh foods, that people may not be comfortable cooking or accessing,” Bilitzer said. He said the goal is not to focus on strict recipes, but to offer guidance and techniques that make cooking easier and more approachable.
The Neighborhood House Executive Director Jennie Jean Davidson said the organization often has dried beans and lentils available, even as other pantry items disappear quickly.
“We have plenty of lentils and we have plenty of dried beans,” Davidson said. “Because they are such an affordable protein and because they are so nutritious, we’re hoping to help families have more of a sense of how to cook them and get people excited about it.”
Davidson said meat and produce are often the first items to run out when food deliveries arrive.
“The need is going up. The supply is not keeping up. In fact, the supply is decreasing,” Davidson said. “We’re having to turn people away because we run out of food way more often than we would like.”
The Neighborhood House emergency food pantry serves about 700 families each month with food provided by Dare to Care.
Vincent James, president and CEO of Dare to Care, said families are being squeezed by the cost of groceries, gas and other basic needs.
“What is happening is you have this convergence of high prices … and the needs in the community are continuing to rise because of the challenges that people are facing, just barely trying to make it,” James said.
The Neighborhood House said this was its first collaboration of this kind.
