“I Was an Hungred”: Stepping Up When the Government Shuts Down

The shutdown of the United States’ federal government that began on October 1 has now stretched on long enough that millions of people are living with the consequences. While lawmakers continue to argue, families are making hard decisions at kitchen tables across the country—decisions about whether they will buy groceries, refill medication, or pay rent.

I know something about the uncertainty many families face right now.

I know what it is to lean on government grants to finish school while raising young children. I know what it is to rely on childcare assistance so you can maintain a full time job and support your broken family while enduring a painful divorce.

I know what it is to wait outside the bishop’s office to ask for help with groceries. I know the strain of unpaid medical bills collecting on the kitchen counter, the fear of going without health insurance, and the exhaustion of submitting yet another job application that will go unanswered.

These moments of desperation aren’t rare. They are the often invisible realities of people you sit next to in sacrament meeting every week. They are the empty bellies of your children’s classmates. They are the sleepless nights of your neighbors and coworkers.

And now, millions across the country are losing the lifelines that have kept them afloat. So, when I read the news about reduced food and other assistance during the shutdown, I do not think about politics. I think about empty refrigerators, a toddler’s too-small shoes, and parents trying to keep fear out of their voices.

The SNAP Crisis and Rising Uncertainty

At the center of this crisis is the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which provides food benefits to about 1 in 8 Americans, according to the Associated Press. The program typically costs more than $8 billion per month, and when the shutdown began, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said it would need to freeze payments.

Two federal judges later ruled that SNAP must continue, and on November 3 the administration announced it will use a $4.65 billion contingency fund to provide partial benefits for November. (AP) Because the contingency fund covers only about half of the usual need, most households will receive reduced benefits, and the Associated Press reports that delays could continue for weeks or even months in some states.

Then, on November 4, Reuters reported that President Trump stated on social media that SNAP benefits would resume only once the government reopens. The statement raised new questions about how the previously announced contingency fund will be used and whether even reduced benefits will arrive anytime soon.

For many households, the uncertainty itself is its own kind of hunger.

Families Already Feeling the Strain

Jamal Brown, of Camden, New Jersey, is paralyzed and on a fixed income. He told the AP that his family is trying to help, but he worries about people who have no one to step in. “How did you expect to live a healthy life if you’re not eating the right stuff?” he said. “If you don’t have the access to the food stamps, you’re going to go to the cheapest thing that you can afford.”

Corina Betancourt, of Glendale, Arizona, told the AP that she relies on SNAP to feed her three children. With reduced benefits, she expects to lean more heavily on her local food bank. “We always make things work somehow, some way,” she said. Instead of around $800, she expects about $400 this month.

The Associated Press reported that the shutdown “set off a scramble by food banks, state governments and the nearly 42 million Americans who receive the aid to find ways to ensure access to groceries.” Food banks are indeed stepping in, but even their leaders acknowledge that charity systems cannot replace a program that normally distributes billions in benefits each month.

Meanwhile, about 1.4 million federal workers have now missed paychecks, with roughly half furloughed and the rest working without pay as “essential” workers. (AP) If it hasn’t happened already, it won’t be long before those who once helped others apply for benefits are waiting in line at a food bank.

Communities Rushing to Fill the Gaps

In the face of benefit delays, many communities are stepping in to help one another directly. NPR recently highlighted a growing network of “grocery buddies”—neighbors who purchase groceries for someone whose SNAP benefits have stalled. The idea is simple: if you have enough, you buy a little extra for someone who doesn’t.

In Chicago, Alicia Spradley saw the news, said a prayer, and then posted an offer to help on a neighborhood Facebook page. The response came quickly. Some people reached out because they were running low and didn’t know how they would feed their families that week.

Others commented to say they knew someone—an elderly neighbor, a single parent, a family new to the area—who could use a hand but would never ask for it themselves. What began as one offer became a wave of shared meals, grocery drop-offs, and Venmo transfers.

Volunteers in other cities have adopted a similar mindset. They emphasized that need is not always visible. A coworker, a classmate, a member of the same pew could be struggling without saying a word. Often, the only way to find the hungry is to step forward first—to assume that help is needed, and offer it humbly, without judgment or expectation.

This kind of service is not flashy. It rarely appears in headlines. But it reflects something profoundly Christlike: the willingness to see another’s burden as our own, and to act before being asked.

This Is When Our Covenants Matter

I have tasted the weight many are carrying right now—but I also know how deeply it matters when someone shows up to help without judgment. A Relief Society president who quietly fills your pantry, a bishop who pays a month’s rent, a family member who covers a bill or watches your children with no expectation of repayment.

These acts do not solve everything, but they change everything.

Perhaps steps like these cannot replace a national food program as large as SNAP—and the government shutdown will not last forever—but this moment offers us a question we should not rush past: Could a covenant people, working together with charitable organizations and other community or religious networks, truly shoulder the work of feeding one another?

Many Latter-day Saints believe that government assistance weakens both personal accountability and the covenant duty to care for the poor, and that these needs are better met another way. Do we have the faith and courage to put that theory to the test?

Building Zion

The scriptures describe Zion societies with “no poor among them” (Moses 7:18). Those communities were not built because hardship disappeared. They were built because disciples chose to see every need as their own.

In the Book of Mormon, King Benjamin taught that we are all beggars before God—and that to withhold what we are able to give is to forget the mercy that sustains us (Mosiah 4:19-21). The Lord revealed to the Prophet Joseph Smith that Zion is not a place we go to, but a people we become by consecrating all we have (Doctrine & Covenants 97:21, Doctrine & Covenants 105:3-5).

The Lord’s way of caring for the poor has always depended on willing hearts, open hands, and a covenant understanding that everything we have is His. Fast offerings, ministering, and quiet generosity are not side notes to the gospel—they are the gospel in motion.

If we want Zion, we must practice Zion.

Resisting the Natural Man

This is no effortless task. The natural man resists giving but is easily tempted to wonder whether the recipients of charity deserve such gifts. Many worry about being taken advantage of. Some wrestle with doubts about whether giving will truly help, or simply allow someone to remain in patterns that keep them stuck.

While some concern may be valid, dwelling on these questions can easily become an excuse to harden our hearts and turn away from those in need. If we withhold help from ten beggars for fear that one of them may not be hungry, then our hearts are pointed in the wrong direction. As King Benjamin taught:

“Perhaps thou shalt say: The man has brought upon himself his misery; therefore I will stay my hand, and will not give unto him of my food, nor impart unto him of my substance that he may not suffer, for his punishments are just—

“But I say unto you, O man, whosoever doeth this the same hath great cause to repent; and except he repenteth of that which he hath done he perisheth forever, and hath no interest in the kingdom of God” (Mosiah 4:17-18).

The Savior did not spend much time, if any, instructing us on how to identify the “fakers.” Instead, He simply taught us to feed His sheep. He asked us to see people, not categories. He commanded us to give, to lift, to bless, to bear one another’s burdens without hesitation.

“For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:

“Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me” (Matthew 25:35-36).

Christ’s ministry was not structured around sorting the deserving from the undeserving. When He multiplied the loaves and fishes, He did not ask why the people on the hillside weren’t better prepared. He saw hunger, and He fed them. He trusted that hearts would change through love.

Let Our Gratitude Become Generosity—Shutdown or No Shutdown

That same trust is asked of us. We do not build Zion by waiting for perfect systems, perfect information, or perfect confidence that every dollar is used exactly as we hope. We build Zion by leaning into mercy, again and again, with confidence that God will guide our hands and consecrate our efforts.

As Thanksgiving approaches, many of us will soon gather around tables filled with more than we need. We will speak of gratitude, of blessings, of the good hand of the Lord in our lives. If we have been given much—and we have—then we are invited to give.

Let our gratitude become generosity. Let our abundance become someone else’s relief. Let this opportunity be the match that reignites our commitment to love and succor others long after the government shutdown has ended. If someone in our ward or neighborhood is struggling, let us be the ones who notice and act.

Because the measurement of our discipleship is not found in what we have, but in what we are willing to share.

What We Can Do Right Now

Everyone can do something. Even those of us who “give not because [we] have not” (Mosiah 4:24) can find ways to help lift others’ burdens. Here are some options to consider:

• Increase your fast offerings, even by a small amount.
• Donate to your local food bank.
• Invite someone over for dinner.
• Share your food storage.
• Volunteer at a charity providing resources in high demand.
• Buy a few extra pantry staples or prepare extra meals to share.
• Check in on elderly neighbors and those you minister to.
• Offer free childcare.
• Collect clothing and other items you do not need and donate them to someone who does.
• Let your community know if your workplace is hiring.
• Ask someone, directly, “What do you need today?”
• Lend a listening ear.
• Fast on behalf of those who struggle and remember them in your prayers.
• Add the names of those with the greatest need to the temple prayer roll.
• Research community resources in your area and share them on social media.
• Ask your bishop, Relief Society president, or Elders Quorum president whether there are specific needs you can fill.

What is one act of generosity someone once offered you that you’ll never forget? Share with us in the comments!

Holly Wallace

Holly Wallace is a writer and storyteller drawn to meaningful questions and overlooked details. Her work explores Latter-day Saint life and culture through faithful inquiry, inviting readers to pause, consider, and engage more deeply with what matters most.