UUs Are Helping During the SNAP Crisis

The ongoing shutdown of the federal government, along with the decision by the current administration to not release contingency funding for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), means that more than 40 million Americans who utilize the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) will lose access to food assistance on November 1st.

In plain language, that means millions of Americans, including more than 15 million children, will go hungry starting this week. It is a moral scandal and an affront to our Unitarian Universalist (UU) values of interdependence and generosity.

Keeping Love at the Center

In Good Faith asked the Rev. Dr. Terasa Cooley, Developmental Minister at First Unitarian Universalist Church of Columbus, Ohio, about why this work is so important. She said that so many people are looking for concrete ways to help, and “this is a really important and wonderful concrete thing that we can all do.”

Her congregation works with an organization called “Feed and Read Ohio,” which “deliver[s] food and books to underserved areas in Ohio.” The nonprofit was founded by Jacques Angelino, a lifelong Unitarian Universalist.

Rev. Dr. Cooley recommends connecting with an already existing organization. “There is in every community, a food bank or some other organization, and all of them are losing funds right now. You don’t have to recreate the wheel,” she says.

“We’re called to serve the most vulnerable among us, and that sometimes includes members of our congregation and sometimes beyond. It’s easy to assume that we don’t have people that are vulnerable in our congregations, but we do,” says Rev. Dr. Cooley. “But people’s vulnerability is everyone’s responsibility, so how we support to the extent that we can the people in need is a direct implication of what it means to keep love at the center.”

UU Congregations Meeting the Moment

Other Ways UUs are Helping

Rev. Kären Rasmussen has launched a Faithify campaign to support No Child Goes Hungry, a nonprofit she established to help end childhood hunger.

Rev. Kristin Schmidt, Senior Minister of Unitarian Universalist Church of Silver Spring, Maryland, was featured on CNN discussing becoming a “grocery buddy” for a family in need.

We have asked UU congregations across the country to share with us the ways that they are meeting the moment and responding to this crisis in their communities. The response has lived up to the shared value of generosity. We have learned that UU congregations are:

  • Operating food pantries
  • Organizing mutual aid
  • Running food drives
  • Planning meal-packing events
  • Stocking little free pantries and freezer ministries
  • Organizing concerts for food pantry donations
  • Growing fresh produce for local food organizations
  • Encouraging and collecting donations for food
  • Partnering with organizations that address food insecurity

And much more. Below we have put together a list of UU congregations that we are aware of addressing the crisis. We know that is not all of the congregations out there doing this work! You will also find a link below of a form where you can input your congregation’s efforts, and we will add their name to this post on an ongoing basis.

If you wish to learn more about how these congregations are helping, or support their efforts, please contact them directly. And if you would like to add your congregation to this list, please fill out this form. We will update this post with information as it comes in.

Further Reading

UU World — “Helping Hands, Full Plates: With Looming Halt to SNAP Benefits, UUs Prep Emergency Food Support” (October 31, 2025)