“It’s been a real rollercoaster,” South Carolina food banks face planning hurdles amid SNAP confusion

COLUMBIA, S.C. — With ongoing back-and-forth messages and confusion from the federal government about SNAP funding, food banks across South Carolina say they are struggling to plan and respond to the growing uncertainty.

FoodShare South Carolina, which serves thousands of people across the Midlands, says roughly half of its clients pay for their produce boxes using SNAP benefits.

But as the federal government continues to issue conflicting guidance about the future of the program, leaders say they’re left without clear direction.

“It’s been a real rollercoaster,” said Omme-Salma Rahemtullah, Executive Director of FoodShare. “We just don’t know what’s true and what’s not true because we are not hearing official statements from the USDA or DSS.”

Rahemtullah says the organization h