During weeks of anxiety over threats to federal food assistance, Salem food pantries received tens of thousands more pounds of donated food to help feed the community. The Marion Polk Food Share saw record levels of donations and need from the community while a federal government shutdown delayed food benefits for thousands of local families. The 49 local pantries the food share supplies recorded 20,000 visits in October, according to Sam West, the food share’s spokeswoman. Monthly visits had already been close to recent record-highs with 17,000 visits per month, Salem Reporter previously reported. Monthly benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program did not go out Nov. 1 as planned due to a shutdown of the federal government that lasted over a month. Benefits to Oregonians went out Nov. 7 after a judge ordered the Trump administration to pay benefits. The delay impacted the 38,000 Marion County families and 8,600 Polk County families who rely on the monthly benefits to pay for groceries. SNAP delays increased stress and financial challenges for local families who rely on the benefits. Local leaders condemned the disruption of food assistance by the federal government, citing the harm to people’s daily lives. West recently shared statistics from the food share that demonstrate the spike in need for the organization and how the community responded to the weeks of uncertainty. During those weeks, the food share purchased 282,000 pounds of food thanks to financial donations, West said in an email. That is an increase of 211,000 pounds of food compared to the same time period in 2024. “We have been absolutely floored by the community response to the SNAP disruption,” food share President and CEO Rick Gaupo said in a statement. “You can’t walk through the food share’s lobby without seeing someone wheeling in a cart full of groceries or bringing in a check to support food assistanceby and for the Mid-Valley. Because of folks’ overwhelming generosity, more families in our community have food on their tables heading into the holidays, and more people know where they can find food when they need it most.” Food donations also saw a large surge. Between mid October and mid November, the food share received 611,000 pounds of donated food from people in the community, food producers and industry partners, according to West. That number is an increase of 100,000 pounds from the same period of time in 2024. Other numbers include:  4,842 people donated financially to the Marion Polk Food Share in October and November. There have been at least 150 food drives to support people locally in response to SNAP delays. West said that number is only the drives people told the food share about in advance. Volunteer shifts at the food share are full until the start of 2026, and they are currently processing almost 200 new volunteer applications. In addition to community members, Marion County and the city of Salem contributed donations to the food share, and Cherriots provided free rides for people needing transportation to food banks. Marion County sent $100,000 to the food share on Nov. 3, which funded more than 4,000 boxes of food for families around the county.  Of the thousands of boxes, 1,650 went to families with students at Salem-Keizer schools that have higher levels of students from low-income families. Salem Reporter spoke to a few of the volunteers who distributed boxes and Gaupo, who runs the food share, about the impacts of SNAP delays. The county sent another $100,000 to food share the following week, on Nov. 10, which went toward regular emergency food supplies, West previously told Salem Reporter. Also on Nov. 10, the Salem City Council voted to send $20,000 to the food share from the city’s general fund. Although the SNAP delays were resolved last month, the stress and need over food assistance continues. To continue supporting local families, Salem Region Indivisible is hosting a benefit concert for the Marion Polk Food Share this month. The concert will bring together local musicians who’ll perform American roots and bluegrass music. “Every $25 concert ticket provides 75 meals for people in our community,” Gaupo said in a statement for the event. “Last year alone, Marion Polk Food Share provided more than six million meals to families in need across the Mid-Valley, and this year, the need is higher than ever. The show will be at 3 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 14, at Santiam Brewing’s BAD Space, located at 2372 19th St. N.E. Tickets, which are $26.89, are available to buy online. Contact reporter Madeleine Moore: [email protected]. A MOMENT MORE, PLEASE– If you found this story useful, consider subscribing to Salem Reporter if you don’t already. Work such as this, done by local professionals, depends on community support from subscribers. Please take a moment and sign up now – easy and secure: SUBSCRIBE. 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