November 4, 2025 // Diocese

Local Charity Groups Ready to Feed the Hungry

Scott Warden

Editor-In-Chief

According to officials with Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend, more than 105,000 families within diocesan boundaries received food benefits through the federal government’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) in 2024.

With the government shutdown now in its second month and a growing uncertainty of whether SNAP benefits would be available to those who need them beginning in November, local Catholic charity organizations have braced for the possibility of sharp increases in those needing their services.

On Monday, November 3, officials with the Trump administration provided some clarity, saying that the government would not appeal a federal judge’s order directing it to pay SNAP benefits. However, the officials said the government would only issue partial payments in November, and few other details were made available – including when SNAP recipients might receive their benefits.

OSV News reported that approximately 42 million Americans – roughly 1 in 8 – rely on SNAP. Data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture showed that in fiscal year 2023, 79 percent of SNAP recipient households included either a child, an elderly individual, or a nonelderly individual with a disability.

To help those in need, officials with Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend, the St. Vincent de Paul Societies of Fort Wayne and St. Joseph County, and parish-run food pantries and soup kitchens told Today’s Catholic that they will strive to meet the needs of those in their communities to ensure no one goes hungry.

“Every day, we hear the worry in people’s voices and see the fear in their eyes. Families who depend on SNAP are anxious and unsure how they’ll keep food on the table,” said Kristine Hilger, executive director of the St. Vincent de Paul Society of St. Joseph County. “In what’s supposed to be a Jubilee Year of Hope, too many of our neighbors are feeling hopeless. From September to October alone, we saw a 33 percent increase in visits to our pantry. Families are trying to stock up before their benefits disappear.”

Hilger continued, saying: “We’re getting ready to meet the need head-on. To make sure no one goes hungry, we’re temporarily easing our pantry restrictions so families can visit twice a month instead of once until SNAP benefits are restored. Many of our 15 parish-based St. Vincent de Paul conferences have already offered to step up their home visits, which bring not only food but also compassion and connection right to people’s doors.”

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“While it is already difficult for the vulnerable to make ends meet, regardless of the status of public assistance, our case managers will continue to help clients make leaner budgets and connect to community resources.”

—Catholic Charities

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Lara Schreck, executive director of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul – Fort Wayne, told Today’s Catholic that her organization has “sensed a growing concern among those we serve that currently receive SNAP benefits, and our food pantries have already seen increases in demand as people anticipate how these cuts could affect their ability to feed their families. Most of the people receiving these benefits have jobs, but the income they receive isn’t enough to cover the rising costs of basic living expenses, and they depend on SNAP benefits to make ends meet.”

“Our food pantries had already reported seeing many new faces in recent weeks due to higher grocery prices and reductions in other government benefits, but even more families will be desperate for food and nutrition support without access to SNAP,” Schreck said.

In a statement to Today’s Catholic, officials with Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend noted its long history of providing assistance to those who need it.

“Since 1922, our agency has been supporting the vulnerable,” the statement said. “We have witnessed society with and without the safety net of public assistance, and we are deeply concerned about the impact of simultaneously reducing all public assistance programs. 105,040 families in our diocese received SNAP benefits in 2024, many of whom are hard-working families with little to no emergency savings. Eliminating SNAP, the free school lunch program, WIC, and Medicaid will be financially devastating to families.”

The statement from Catholic Charities continued: “Last year, we assisted more than 8,000 individuals through our food pantries in South Bend and Auburn. We are exploring ways to expand our pantries to increase the number we feed. In our Financial Assistance Program, we worked with more than 9,500 clients last year on assistance and household budgeting. While it is already difficult for the vulnerable to make ends meet, regardless of the status of public assistance, our case managers will continue to help clients make leaner budgets and connect to community resources.”

One such local community resource is the food pantry at St. Thérèse, Little Flower Parish in South Bend. Janet Lentz, the parish’s director of outreach, who helps to run the pantry, told Today’s Catholic that she has seen “a growing concern for those who rely on SNAP, both at the food pantry and with our financial assistance for utilities.” Lentz added, “I have been purchasing items almost every day to make sure we have enough items on hand so we will be able to meet the need since food donations are down.”

Hilger, the executive director of the St. Vincent de Paul Society of St. Joseph County, echoed Lentz’s statement, saying that her organization has “also increased our food purchasing this past week in anticipation of higher demand.”

Schreck told Today’s Catholic that the Society of St. Vincent de Paul – Fort Wayne has been helping a single mother with three small children. The mother was diagnosed with cancer several months ago, Schreck said, and her savings were quickly depleted when she had to miss work during a treatment.

“She is working as hard as she can to get back on her feet,” Schreck said, “but she currently relies on SNAP benefits to feed her children. She said she can accept going hungry herself, but she can’t imagine not being able to even feed her children! She is thankful she has already built a relationship with the volunteers at her SVdP food pantry, but she still worries about how her family can continue to survive. She is just one of many examples of people that will be impacted by these devastating cuts to food benefits.”

Before the announcement that SNAP would be partly funded in November, Hilger said: “Even if SNAP funding is restored, families will still be playing catch-up. When you are on a limited budget, stretching every dollar, that gap doesn’t close overnight. In St. Joseph County, food pantries and soup kitchens are coordinating services to try to make sure families have access to food. Our St. Vincent de Paul volunteers are sharing resources, communicating daily, and doing everything we can to keep food on shelves and hope alive in homes.”

Scott Warden is editor-in-chief of Today’s Catholic.

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How to Help

Local Catholic organizations are dedicated to helping those in need throughout the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend. Each depends on volunteers as well as monetary and other donations to help maintain its mission. Visit their websites to learn how you help these ministries feed, clothe, and shelter those in our community.

• Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend: 260-422-5625 or ccfwsb.org/donate

• St. Vincent de Paul Society of St. Joseph County: 574-234-6000 or svdpsb.org/donate

• Society of St. Vincent de Paul – Fort Wayne: 260-456-3561 or svdpfortwayne.org/donate