The same day emergency food benefits were cut off for more than 1.5 million New Yorkers, a long line formed on a Harlem sidewalk outside a local food pantry. Those waiting were mainly seniors, some with walkers and canes. They shifted weight from foot to foot as they waited. One older man pulled out a folding chair.

Hector Castro headed to the end of the line. He’s one of hundreds of thousands of seniors in New York City who had their SNAP benefits slashed earlier this week. Castro, 84, and his wife live in East Harlem, where they make ends meet on a social security fixed income. The change dramatically shrinks his food budget. He likes to eat fresh fruit, but he’s not sure he’ll be able to afford it now.

Hector Castro, 84, worries that SNAP cuts will make it more difficult to feed himself on his already-tight budget. (Josephine Stratman )

“We’ll have to save food in different ways, eat less meat, buy cheaper items,” Castro said. “I try to eat good meals every day, but that’s going to be difficult. It’s hard to buy fruit now – it’s expensive.”

The end of emergency SNAP allotments on Wednesday risks leaving the city’s low-income seniors hungry.

The cuts are a reversion to the pre-pandemic allotment of SNAP, or Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. The federal emergency allotment program was always meant to be temporary.

But advocates and low-income seniors say that as some of the most vulnerable New Yorkers, the elderly are not ready for the change.

Volunteer Nick Collins loads a bag of produce onto a person's electric scooter as he and his colleagues package and distribute food for those in need at the New York Common Pantry on 109th Street in the Manhattan borough of New York. (John Minchillo/AP)

Until Wednesday, recipients got maxed-out benefits – $281 per month for seniors living alone. In some cases, that will be cut down to just $23 a month. For those on a fixed income, this change has a huge impact.

“We’re seeing an increase of people panicking about having food,” Maria Rivera, the director of senior services at non-profit BronxWorks said.

New York City’s low-income seniors were acutely impacted by the pandemic. Around 75% of COVID deaths have been people over 65. They’ve lost jobs more than any other group. They’re often financially unstable, at risk for health issues and unable to shop or cook for themselves. The cuts feel like yet another hit, made worse by still-high grocery prices.

The SNAP boost helped Castro eat consistently and stock his fridge with fresh produce, fruits and cuts of red meat. Now, those items may be out of reach. He uses a walker to get around and receives about $700 every month on his fixed income.

Already, inflation has forced him to swap favorite foods like steak and fish for slabs of bread and butter or an egg.

He regularly visits NY Common Pantry in East Harlem to receive staples like produce and dairy products.

If he can’t afford food after the SNAP change, Castro said he’ll hobble to different pantries, trekking further from his home to feed himself.

“It’s scary. It’s scary for us as a provider, and I can’t imagine how scary it is for older New Yorkers, older people who are faced with not knowing where their next meal may be coming from,” said Beth Shapiro, the CEO of Citymeals on Wheels. “... This is just creating a very challenging and scary time for the most vulnerable people in the city, the people who built this city for us.”

The pandemic appears to be over for many, but not for William Page.

“They talked about this being for the pandemic. As far as prices are concerned, the pandemic is still on,” said William Page, a senior who receives SNAP benefits. “Maybe people are vaccinated, but people ain’t eating.”

The program is a lifeline for millions of New Yorkers without a reliable food source and at risk of going hungry. By putting money on a prepaid card every month, SNAP aims to alleviate the problem by giving extra help to shop.

Many seniors are worried they won’t be able to stock basic grocery items like eggs, milk and produce.

Food and other items are distributed to people at a distribution center in the Coney Island neighborhood on May 23, 2022 in New York City. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

Even as inflation cools, food prices are still climbing. They rose 10% last year, according to the Department of Agriculture. They’re expected to rise another 8% this year.

With prices still high, many worry about low-income seniors and those in poor physical or mental health. The cuts may put them at a greater risk of skipping meals or eating junk food.

For the past three years, Page, 74, has received that maximum amount, $281 in SNAP funds every month. Now, he’ll receive about $100 less. He’s really disappointed in the change – he hoped it might continue for longer.

“It’s gonna be hard,” Page, a retired security guard, said. “It’s gonna be harder… “It’s an extra burden.”

The cuts will impact his everyday life. His only income is from social security disability checks every month. With the extra SNAP funds, he buys red meat and fish, eats eggs for breakfast and sometimes treats himself to sweets.

Without those funds, he won’t be able to. Instead, he’ll go for Wheaties cereal and visit food pantries more to pick up expensive essentials like milk and produce. He thinks maybe he’ll start buying canned meat, but worries that it’s less healthy. He’ll skip meals if he needs to.

Page has limited mobility and is able to go to his local senior center, at the Food Bank for New York City community center in Harlem, a couple of times every week. There, he picks up lunch and socializes with the other regulars. He’s been going for ten years, so he knows pretty much everyone. When he’s there, he brings a bag to pack leftovers to eat for dinner.

After multiple surgeries in the past few years, he has trouble walking. That makes grocery shopping difficult.

“The older you get, the more the body starts deteriorating, with some people like me… It’s hard for me to stand up and walk,” he said.

Not having consistent access to food can lead to a higher chance of developing serious health issues and more health-care costs.

With the cuts, many will face impossible choices. Insulin or food? Medical bills or groceries? Trek to pantries further from home, risking exhaustion and even injury, to get more food?

“Your medicines work better when you work appropriately when you’re nourished,” Beth Shapiro of Citymeals on Wheels said. “This is putting people in a situation where they will not have enough food to meet their daily requirements.”

“High costs of food are going to make [them stretch] their dollars even further,” Shapiro said. “And there are older people who are managing chronic illnesses like diabetes, heart disease, and it’s impossible without the ability to purchase healthy foods. The SNAP allotments gave older adults more ability to stretch their dollars to include healthier food to support their health and well-being.”

As seniors start to feel the impact of the change, food pantries and senior centers are bracing themselves for a surge of need. Some seniors may be forced to return to the centers out of necessity.

“Lot of them have not wanted to return, but they may not have a choice but to go back to the centers for the meals,” Rivera said. “... They’re been afraid to come back because they’re scared to be sick. And then some of them will have no choice but to come back, because they’re going to be able to afford their three meals at home.”

Some states, like New Jersey, are working to extend parts of the program, but New York hasn’t made any indication of doing so.

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