When the Safety Net Fails, Our Shared Humanity Suffers
By the Sisters of Charity Foundation of South Carolina
For nearly three decades, the Sisters of Charity Foundation of South Carolina has worked to reduce poverty across our state, walking alongside individuals, families, and nonprofits who dedicate their lives to serving others. Our work is rooted in Catholic Social Teaching and grounded in the belief that every person has inherent dignity, that community is sacred, and that we are called to extend the healing ministry of Jesus Christ to God’s people.
Today, we find ourselves at a moment that challenges those values in a profound way.
Because of the ongoing federal shutdown, November SNAP benefits were initially put on hold. After multiple lawsuits, federal judges ordered USDA to keep the program running, and the Administration has now committed contingency funds to partially cover November benefits. Even so, families may see reduced amounts and delays, and uncertainty remains for the weeks ahead.
In our state alone, more than 266,000 households, representing over 556,000 people, rely on SNAP each month. Those dollars total about $104 million, circulating through local grocery stores, farmers’ markets, and rural economies. As our partners at Wholespire have reminded policymakers, every $1 spent on SNAP generates $1.85 in economic activity, and in rural areas, SNAP transactions can account for up to 30% of grocery store sales. When that lifeline is cut off, the consequences are both moral and economic.
Hundreds of thousands of households will soon face impossible choices, whether there will be enough food on the table for their children, whether they can stretch what’s left in the pantry through the week, whether they can go without a meal so someone else can eat. No one should have to make those choices. Not in South Carolina. Not anywhere in this country.
This crisis is different from the natural disasters we know too well from hurricanes to floods to pandemics. Those are acts of nature. This is an act of government, and that means it can be fixed by government.
We are deeply grateful that the One SC Fund has been reactivated to provide emergency food response across South Carolina. We are equally grateful to the Central Carolina Community Foundation for administering the fund, and to donors whose generosity allows food banks and local partners to step in during this difficult time. The philanthropic community and our nonprofit partners will, as always, do all they can.
But philanthropy cannot fill the gap left by the federal safety net. These programs exist precisely to ensure that, when families face hardship, they do not fall into hunger or despair.
At the Sisters of Charity Foundation, we believe that this moment calls not for despair, but for compassion and courage. We stand in solidarity with our partners across the state who are advocating for immediate action. We have joined a statewide sign-on letter led by Wholespire, urging members of the South Carolina General Assembly to address this gap and ensure that families have access to the resources they need.
We also urge our neighbors to make their voices heard. If you have never contacted your members of Congress, now is the time. The only people who can resolve this crisis are our elected leaders in Washington — the Administration and Congress.
This is not about politics. It is about people.
As a Catholic foundation, we are called to live out our faith through action. To feed the hungry. To stand with people experiencing poverty. To protect human dignity. And to remind our communities that every policy choice is, at its heart, a moral choice.
We will continue to work alongside our nonprofit partners and fellow South Carolinians to bring healing and hope, but our collective humanity demands more. The safety net designed to protect our neighbors must be restored.
The power to fix this lies in human hands. Let us act swiftly, with courage and compassion, to ensure no family in South Carolina goes hungry.
