Kitsap food banks busy as shutdown, SNAP delays exacerbate need

Charlie Thompson counted at least 30 people outside Fishline before it opened to shoppers on Monday morning. Lines themselves are not abnormal for the Poulsbo food bank, but the Fishline executive director described the number of people waiting as “mind boggling.”

Over the last two or three days, Fishline has seen an "unbelievable surge” in need. About 150 families have come through its doors each day, roughly 30 more than average. Staff and volunteers have been busier than ever. Donations have been nonstop.

Food banks like Fishline have become a last line of defense for potentially thousands of low-income families on the Kitsap Peninsula waiting to receive their Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, benefits this month. The federal program, oft-referred to as food stamps,