By Nicholas Heckman
Public Health Planner – Food Security, Public Health Madison & Dane County

December 18, 2025

There’s a saying in public health: if we do everything right, no one will notice. The reality is that people tend not to notice prevention measures when things are going well.

Hunger prevention is no different. Many people do not regularly think about the vast network of nutrition programs that serve different populations throughout their lifespans, or the emergency food safety net that helps make sure people don’t fall through the cracks.

Unfortunately, the last two and a half months were an example of what happens when things don’t follow the normal script. When turmoil in the federal government resulted in a 43-day government shutdown beginning on October 1, many people gained new awareness of one of the most important and foundational programs in America: the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, known as FoodShare in Wisconsin). At the onset of the shutdown, SNAP, WIC, and other nutrition programs were able to be extended through extraordinary funding measures. Toward the end of October, however, it became clear that program funding for benefits would potentially be disrupted if the shutdown continued.

And so, for the first time since SNAP’s creation in the 1960s, states were not able to distribute SNAP benefits on schedule beginning at the start of November. In Madison and Dane County, community members rallied to create new ways to support families in need and secure funding to help pantries support a wave of new clients. Fortunately, by the end of the first week, Wisconsin was able to restore benefits. (Other states were not as lucky.) A week later, Congress negotiated an end to the shutdown, and it was announced that all benefits nationwide would be restored for November and continue as normal in December and beyond.

This saga has been insightful to show Americans how much of a cornerstone SNAP is for our society; it is the largest anti-hunger program by far and serves to lift millions of families out of poverty. Folks who use SNAP can get directly certified for many other assistance programs, such as WIC, School Meals, and more. Without SNAP we would very literally have hunger in the streets.

This newfound public awareness can help us prepare for what is to come. Recent Congressional decisions have made it harder to stay enrolled in SNAP, and the USDA has signaled that other changes will be made in the name of fraud prevention that may also lead to new barriers.

And so, even though things are back to normal for the moment, it’s important to continue to support SNAP. We can’t afford not to.