Food pantry use broke record during government shutdown, report shows

By: Christopher Shea

Outlets: Rhode Island Current

Published: January 27, 2026

Words: 1,017

Last Updated: 3 weeks, 3 days ago

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More than 102,000 Rhode Islanders needed help putting food on the table when federal food benefits were halted last November during the government shutdown — the highest number ever recorded by the Rhode Island Community Food Bank.

That’s according to the Providence-based nonprofit’s 2025 hunger report released Tuesday, which found that even before the federal shutdown’s impact on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), one in three families across the Ocean State experienced food …

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