IDAHO FALLS, Idaho - Food banks have seen increased need since pandemic-related food benefits expired in Idaho. The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare decided not to extend SNAP Emergency Allotments in the state, which were designed to increase benefits to the lowest-income households during the pandemic shutdown.

Ariel Jackson, executive director of the Community Food Basket in Idaho Falls, said numbers went down after the expanded benefits went into effect last year. But this announcement has reversed that trend, and she saw the first signs of it posted on Facebook.

"People were panicking because they had received a letter and they weren't going to be getting this extra allotment anymore, and they didn't know what they were going to do," she said. "Within days of that, our numbers at our food bank spiked back up. We were seeing 20 to 30 families a day - and now, we're back up to 60 a day."

Jackson said her colleagues in food banks across the state have seen similar increases. The enhanced benefits stopped at the end of April. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, more than 42,000 Idaho households received SNAP emergency allotments in March.

The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare did not respond to a request for comment.

Idaho has announced that additional unemployment benefits from the federal government also will end in the state in mid-June, and the federal eviction moratorium is set to expire at the end of June. Jackson said she thinks the combination could mean a "benefits cliff" for some people, who either have struggled to find jobs or haven't returned to work because of health concerns.

"One of the biggest concerns that food banks have," she said, "is that these programs will all end at relatively the same time - and we'll feel it here. People won't know what to do."

Jackson said she believes families didn't have enough time to cope with the SNAP benefits change. She said she's also concerned about what will happen over the summer, when kids are out of school and don't have access to school meals.

"We know the programs are going to end - I mean, they just were never intended to go forever," she said. "And so, anything we can do to help our families adjust to the changes that are coming - if that's getting information sooner or being able to help them navigate through some of that stuff - that's what we want to do."

Jackson said food banks across Idaho are in need of volunteers and donations.

Food pantries run by rural churches are often a lifeline for older, retired residents or those living with a disability.

Come to the Table is a program run by Rural Advancement Foundation International-USA, which aims to help North Carolina's faith leaders learn about the root causes of hunger, and the role industrial agriculture plays in perpetuating food access inequities.

Justine Post, Come to the Table program director, pointed out while many churches offer critical stopgap services, congregations want to move beyond emergency services, to address the systemic issues.

"They're often noticing some common trends, which is maybe that a lot of younger families are coming in, or people who have full-time jobs, and it's just not enough," Post observed. "They feel like there should be more that can be done to address their needs."

More than 40 faith leaders across North Carolina will convene in January to begin the four-month-long training program. Post noted next year, Come to the Table is expanding its reach to accept applicants from outside the state.

Lisa O'Donnell, administrator and food pantry coordinator at Cokesbury United Methodist Church in Stedman, said participating in the Come to the Table program has helped raise awareness on hunger in her congregation and given her new tools to tell hunger stories, so listeners understand food insecurity is happening all around them, every day.

"There is a billboard up not too far away from my house, and it's a child's face," O'Donnell remarked. "The caption said hunger can be hard to see, and that is something that is absolutely necessary to be known."

She added small church pantries are still struggling to meet the post-pandemic demand.

"We never ran out of food, which, to us, that's a miracle, because we're a tiny little church and a tiny little town," O'Donnell stressed. "But no matter, and we went from serving eight families a week to serving almost 40 families a week, every week."

Reliance on food pantries in North Carolina is up by 35%, according to data from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill.

The Utah Food Bank is responding to what it calls record levels of need for food assistance across the state. Lingering economic effects of COVID-19 compounded by rising inflation are presenting challenges for many Utah families as winter arrives.

A survey from the American Farm Bureau Federation reports Thanksgiving dinners will cost 20% more this year than last.

Utah Food Bank President and C-E-O Ginette Bott said this is shaping up to be a holiday season like no other, as the clients they serve are changing.

"But now, we're seeing people that are coming to us for a need for food, who - one, have never asked before; two, have jobs and are pretty stable, and three, the inflation now is the issue that seems to be impacting those families we've never had to help before," Bott said.

Bott said it's important to mention the highest spike in need is typically seen during the summer months, when many Utah kids do not get to eat breakfast and lunch at school. She added the need for assistance over the holiday season also seems to increase as families use the funds they would normally spend on food, on other things.

The Utah Food Bank distributed about 67-million pounds of food last year, or about 56-million meals.

Bott said she appreciates the community support - and now more than ever, food banks need donations of food, volunteer time or money.

Bott said .97 of every dollar raised by the Utah Food Bank goes back into the community. When it comes to battling statewide hunger, she said needs are different and there is no one solution.

"So, we have to remember that not every single person who's hungry can be taken care of by one simple thing. It takes a multitude of tasks - of people, of donations, of time and of compassion," she said.

While it's too early to say in this holiday season if donations are down, Bott said inflation is also affecting the level at which donors can give. She encourages families who can donate to use this moment to teach their young ones about the importance of giving and "paying it forward" to others who are struggling.

Turkeys and other holiday standards are still available for struggling families through food pantries, senior centers, school districts and other community sites fueled by the Food Bank of Wyoming.

Rachel Bailey, executive director of the Food Bank, said many are facing food insecurity during the holiday season for the first time, and people across the state are working hard to ensure all Wyoming families can have a happy and healthy Thanksgiving.

"There's a lot of initiatives," Bailey pointed out. "We have a lot of incredible partnerships with folks that are really trying to ensure that there is enough food out there for everyone to access this holiday season."

The need for food assistance has increased significantly over the past year. Bailey noted front-line groups are serving up to double the number of households compared with a year ago. Demand spiked when federal funding for free school meals for all students expired earlier this year.

For a list of mobile pantries headed out to rural areas and other distribution sites across the state, head to the Food Bank's website.

While some view food assistance as a handout which can lead to dependency on government programs, Bailey countered people in Wyoming are hardworking and proud individuals, and most prefer to pull themselves up by their own bootstraps.

"All of us have needed a helping hand at times in our life," Bailey stressed. "Food is a way for people to come together, and food is an easy way to help neighbors in need."

The Food Bank has seen the cost of staples such as potatoes increase by 70%, and their overall costs have nearly tripled compared with pre-COVID levels. The Food Bank is currently spending more than $121,000 per month to keep warehouse shelves stocked. Bailey added the most efficient and effective way to help is by contributing financially.

"Every one dollar donated to the Food Bank of Wyoming provides the equivalent of three meals to our neighbors experiencing hunger," Bailey emphasized. "The reason that we can do that is because we are part of a much larger food-banking network. We have huge purchasing power."