The federal government shutdown certainly caught counties with their pants down.

It’s not as if there was no warning that SNAP benefits could be delayed when the calendar turned from October to November. It had been a topic in newspapers, on television news and amongst those who receive SNAP benefits for weeks. Decision makers knew the possibilities, but they didn’t think the shutdown would last this long. Frankly, no one did. There’s never been a federal government shutdown that has lasted this long. That means we are dealing with an extraordinary circumstance for which there isn’t a local contingency plan.

A judge’s decision on Friday requiring the Trump Administration to use existing federal funding to pay at least partial SNAP benefits will help – though families that expected to receive benefits on Saturday when the calendar hit Nov. 1 are still waiting. The Trump Administration said it would follow two federal judges’ decisions rulings, but needed more guidance on how to spend the money. That means this gap may be temporary. That’s good news, but it also means that temporarily people who count on government funding to put food on the table have no grocery budget.

County Executive PJ Wendel and his team last week suggested those who didn’t receive their benefits to make use of local food pantries. The problem is the food pantries are already struggling under the weight of increased use in an already high-poverty county – 17% poverty rate, about 20% higher than New York’s 14.2% and 1.4 times higher than the U.S. poverty rate of 12.5%. Poverty is even higher among children under 18 at 24% while 12% of senior citizens live under poverty. We are blessed to have a support system that includes the St. Susan Center and Chautauqua County Rural Ministries, but they will buckle under the weight they are being asked to carry.

That’s what makes Wednesday’s special meeting of the Chautauqua County Legislature so interesting. Tom Carle, D-Fredonia, pushed for the meeting. Republican leadership in the majority followed Carle’s lead and called for the special meeting.

What should happen next?

Even if it could do so legally, the county can’t simply pay the entire cost of SNAP benefits typically received by county residents. Doing so would exhaust the county’s hard-earned surplus pretty quickly. But the county may be able to help support the food pantries that it’s suggesting people use until SNAP benefits are restored. It could perhaps add emergency CARTS routes to help people without transportation get to and from food pantry sites. There may be other options that should be up for discussion. We would also hope there is some federal and state reimbursement for counties that take action to step into the breach.

Local taxpayers can’t solve this problem. But we can have a heart and use some of our surplus to help as we can