Tammy Young was in a bad accident a few years back and has not been able to work since. Bonita James, who took in her niece three years ago, lost her job in June. Ty Cline Sr. was in a car accident in February, putting him out of work for a while.
These three Tulsans didn’t expect to need food stamps, and they aren’t prepared for what it means now that they are losing their benefits next month.
“I have absolutely zero preparedness, really, for it,” Cline said. “I don’t get enough SNAP benefits to really stock up. What I get is exactly what I need for the month, and I supplement.”
Last week, the Oklahoma Department of Human Services announced benefits through the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), commonly known as food stamps, would be suspended Nov. 1 because of the ongoing government shutdown.
“This should not be one of the things that they cut,” Young said. “This should be the absolute last thing, that along with Social Security and those types of programs, those are necessary.”
Food pantries and tribal nations are preparing to do what they can to fill the gaps, expecting a major surge in need in the coming days. Young, James and Cline are three of the more than 100,000 Tulsa County residents due to lose their benefits and forced to search for other options.
Cline started using SNAP this year. He says he gets about $256 a month and is entering the last week of October without anything left to spend.
Similarly, Young gets around $298 in food assistance, and it’s already gone too. She says she’s used SNAP benefits for the past couple of years and tries to buy everything she needs at the beginning of the month, leaving her with nothing come November.
James gets around $500 in SNAP benefits each month to provide for herself and her niece. She has $305 left to spend this week and is trying to make those dollars stretch. Her plan is to stock up at Costco with a credit card and spend the rest of her SNAP balance at a local store that participates in the Double Up Oklahoma program.
“How much of my brain (and) time management am I going to be using just trying to make this food stretch?” James said.
Cline says he’s reached out to so many different agencies, it’s interfering with his work.
Young says she struggles with anxiety, and not knowing what to do when her benefits run out is affecting her mental health. But she says she feels hopeful after seeing how the community is responding.
Some local restaurants are participating in pay-it-forward programs, and the Tulsa Farmers’ Market is giving dozens of SNAP recipients community tokens to purchase produce each Saturday.
Matt Jostes, chief development director and executive vice president at the Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma, is encouraging Tulsans with the means to help their neighbors by making a donation, volunteering or hosting food drives.
If people have extra food at home, Cline says he’s hoping they post about it on Facebook or Nextdoor.
Click here to read more of the Flyer’s coverage on SNAP benefits.
Bonita James has participated in the Tulsa Documenters program. News decisions at the Tulsa Flyer are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.
