Food security advocates with nonprofits, the local government and organizations throughout Douglas County began discussing an emergency response plan last week if SNAP benefits don’t come in for November.
Here is the start of that plan, plus resources for SNAP recipients and the community at large.
The state of SNAP
The U.S. Department of Agriculture administration announced Friday that it would not dip into a $6 billion SNAP emergency fund to cover November benefits as the government shutdown continues. This message contradicted an earlier statement from the department saying that funds would be shuffled to ensure SNAP’s continuance.
Tuesday was Kansas’ deadline to receive SNAP funds for processing by Nov. 1. Nearly 190,000 Kansans now face a delay, if not a total loss, of $34.4 million for food support come next month.
In Douglas County alone, an average of 4,832 people received SNAP dollars each month in the 2024 fiscal year, totaling about $11.1 million in service dollars.
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Lawrence school district spokesperson Jake Potter said that the families of 1,149 students would be impacted by a delay or absence of food assistance.
Food security advocates also discussed the vast impact the loss of SNAP dollars would have not only on recipients but also on the entire local economy during a food systems workshop last week.
Plans for a SNAP response community fund in Douglas County are underway
Just Food is Douglas County’s primary food pantry and a food bank in partnership with Harvesters.
The organization is at the center of a countywide emergency response plan to support those who may be losing access to food.
Aundrea Walker, executive director of Just Food, said that a last-minute call to community partners yielded more than 30 attendees at a meeting Tuesday morning, including representatives from the school district, the Lawrence-Douglas County Health Department and multiple area nonprofits.
She said their first step is to create a community fund to collect donations, which Just Food will use to purchase food in bulk and then distribute to pantries throughout the community. She hopes is to have a donation page up and running by Thursday.
Kyle Roggenkamp, CEO of the Ballard Center, said the fund will “really leverage that purchasing power over at Just Food so that we’re not encouraging people to go full retail price.”
Update:
• Just Food and partners launch pantry fund to fight food insecurity, Oct. 31, 2025
Walker said federal guidelines state that every pound of food donated equates to $1.97 in cost. Just Food’s average cost per pound was $0.72 in September and currently averages $0.85 for October. On average, one person leaves Just Food with almost 11 pounds of food, Walker said.
“The community is very dedicated to trying to close the gap the best we can,” Walker said. “Can we completely eliminate the deficit that SNAP is going to have in the community? No. But can we do the best we can? We definitely can.”
In addition to their primary pantry location at 1000 E. 11th St., Just Food operates a mobile pantry called the “Cruising Cupboard,” and works with partner pantries on KU’s campus, in local schools and at Heartland Community Health Center. Learn more about how to get food here.
Double Up Protein Bucks to resume for returning shoppers at the Lawrence Farmers Market
The Lawrence Farmers Market runs a Double Up Food Bucks program that matches up to $25 in SNAP dollars for shoppers to buy produce.
Last year, they introduced a second Double Up-style program for protein, including eggs, meats, milk, falafel, hummus and more. Both programs working in tandem can turn $25 into $75 worth of fruits, vegetables and protein for SNAP recipients.
Due to the success of the program, the market overspent its budget for protein bucks this year and had to stop handing out tokens in September. In response to the impending SNAP crisis, the organization launched a fundraising campaign this weekend to revive the program for the last four market Saturdays this year.
The aim is to raise at least $850 per week, with a total goal of $4,000, to cover the rest of 2025.
$850 would cover the total number of SNAP shoppers the Farmers Market has seen in one week, which is 34. Emily Lysen, the market’s director of development, said they might need to adjust the total fundraising goal depending on expressed community need.
As of Wednesday afternoon, the fund had reached $2,320 in donations, and the Double Up Protein Bucks program will resume. Returning shoppers who have spent their SNAP benefits at the market before can request tokens worth $25 for protein this Saturday, Nov. 1.
Lysen also encouraged folks to use any other Double Up tokens from the farmer’s market, as those expire at the end of the year.
SNAP benefits in personal accounts do not expire, Lysen said, so people who leftover money in their account can still use it at the main Farmers Market, the Cottin’s Hardware Farmers Market or at Checkers, which all have a Double Up program.
“My goal was just to get people fed as fast as possible,” Lysen said, in reference to the fundraiser. “And since we run our own token program … it doesn’t have to be tied to SNAP … It’s a one-to-one-to-one, so it’s every dollar that’s donated goes directly to a SNAP user that goes directly to a farmer.”
More resources for SNAP recipients in Douglas County
• Roggenkamp of the Ballard Center said that, starting Monday, the space will open an addition that allows them to double the number of appointments.
They will also continue initiatives like their mobile food pantry with Harvesters, which gives folks a trunkful of perishable foods on the second and fourth Tuesday of every month at the Douglas County Fairgrounds.
Roggenkamp said many families will face the choice of spending money on food versus housing, so the Ballard Center offers rent and utility assistance.
Even if the center is short on resources for a client, according to Roggenkamp, staff will do all they can to create referrals and connect them to the right resources.
See a full listing of services offered through the Ballard Center at this link.
• Potter said that multiple planning and coordination meetings would take place over the next two days to create a plan for the Lawrence school district heading into November. More information will be forthcoming.
• See a list of free meals and a map of meal locations in Lawrence at this link.
• The Lawrence Public Library maintains an extensive community resource guide with contacts for food insecurity, health insurance, behavioral health care, housing, legal assistance, rent and utility assistance and more.
The library also employs a resource specialist who can refer people to social services. See here for contact information.
• The K-State Research and Extension program, alongside LiveWell Douglas County, issued a food resources guide for all of Douglas County, last updated April 21, 2025.
The guide includes a list of food cupboards, pantries and community meal options for youths to seniors throughout Baldwin, Eudora, Lawrence, Lecompton and general Douglas County.
How to support local organizations and individuals facing food insecurity
Lysen, Roggenkamp and Walker all encouraged residents to consider volunteering to support nonprofits and food pantries that will experience a major uptick in visitors in the coming weeks.
Roggenkamp said they will ask all relevant local organizations to update their United Way of Kaw Valley profiles to include volunteer opportunities, so the platform can serve as a “one-stop shop.”
Folks can also donate money or food to local organizations addressing food insecurity, or host their own food drives through Just Food.
Lysen said the Farmers Market is planning a food drive for Nov. 8, where people will be encouraged to donate items from local farmers and makers. More information will be available once community partners identify what food items are needed most.
The Ballard Center is hosting an “Adopt a Family” program through its Holiday Bureau, with applications closing Oct. 31. Roggenkamp said they are encouraging donors to increase giving amounts through food gift cards.
He also emphasized the need for nonprofit workers to receive support from their community as they prepare for their services to be overwhelmed. Roggenkamp said these are often people who work for small salaries and don’t have access to their own physical and mental health resources.
“I’m worried about my team,” Roggenkamp said. “They’re the ones interacting with these people (service recipients) every day, taking on that secondary trauma. So we’ve not only got to serve these children and families better, we’ve got to serve our staff better.”
Walker also noted that the community is already turning to mutual aid. She said neighbors are already connecting online, check on one another and offering to provide extra food or meals when possible.
Reporting on this topic is ongoing. Check LawrenceKSTimes.com for more local news and information as we post it.
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Wulfe Wulfemeyer (they/them), reporter and news editor, has worked with The Lawrence Times since May 2025. They can be reached at wulfe@lawrencekstimes.com.
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