SNAP recipients share fears about not receiving November benefits

Families concerned about loss of SNAP benefits

Millions of Texans may not receive the SNAP benefits they need, and FOX 26's Heather Sullivan spoke to two women who depend on SNAP for food.

HOUSTON - Three-and-a-half million Texans may not receive the SNAP assistance they depend on in November as the federal government shutdown continues. Half of them are children.

Concerns about no SNAP benefits

What they're saying:

We talked with two women who say they are on medical disability assistance and depend on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) for food.

We met Gabrielle Murillo, who tells us she is a single mother of four children who are all under the age of seven. She says she is on medical disability right now after surgery and is unable to work.

Murillo says she already had her SNAP benefits stolen twice this year. SNAP theft is a growing cybercrime we’ve reported on where benefits are drained before recipients are able to use them.

While Murillo says her kids receive free meals at school, she worries about how she’ll feed them the week of Thanksgiving or on weekends when there is no school.

"It’s not right that our kids are going to go hungry. I’d rather go hungry before my kids, but kids that need it aren’t going to be able to have it. There are people who have major disabilities that can’t work, are bedridden, and that need their food. We’re not going to have food," said Murillo.

We also talked with Jessica Walston, who tells us she’s on medical disability assistance and depends on having food to control her diabetes.

Walston says she lives alone with her dog, Cowgirl. She says her condition prevents her from leaving the house very often.

SUGGESTED: Potential SNAP benefit delay could heighten growing hunger crisis in Texas

According to Walston, she receives $143 a month in SNAP benefits, and is now worried she won’t get any next month.

"It’s hard, you know, when you depend on one thing, and it’s cut off," she said in our interview.

She broke into tears. "I just want to cry.  It’s hard, sorry," she said.  "I don’t have any family I can call on or help because they’re all struggling themselves. So, it’s just me," she said.

What you can do:

To stretch SNAP benefits, experts recommend that recipients use them to buy shelf-stable foods, such as canned meats, rice, and pasta, and free perishable foods, like bread, meats, fruits and vegetables to make them last longer.

The Houston Food Bank has a food pantry finder. People can enter their zip code to find a nearby food pantry.