TRUMBULL COUNTY, OH - Families living paycheck to paycheck continue to feel the pinch from the government shutdown last year. 

Months after the shutdown ended, the Society of Saint Vincent De Paul Northeast Ohio is continuing to see an increase in families getting food at their pantries.

“When they're not receiving their SNAP benefits or assistance, that puts them three to six months behind in order for us to help get them stabilized again,” said Darlene Jones, Chief Executive Officer of the Society of St. Vincent De Paul Northeast Ohio.

Last year in Trumbull County alone, The Society of St. Vincent De Paul Northeast Ohio served 3,000 families with food assistance, totaling to 5,300 people. 

That's a 30% increase from 2024. 

“If you've got to choose between paying your rent and getting food on the table, we're seeing families now who've never asked for food assistance coming into our pantries,” said Jones.

As for daily meals, those numbers appear to be stabilizing. Around the time of the shutdown, the nonprofit was feeding over 600 people daily. That number has decreased by about one-fourth.

“We're feeding about 450 people a day. Those tend to be older individuals, and in our pantries, very often they are younger families. Both need assistance. We're here to fill that gap for both of those groups,” said Jones.

This is on top of rising grocery prices. People need products, like meat, to continue feeding their family.

“Right now, the average price for a pound of ground beef is about $6.70 that's usually a staple in most households, and now it's out of reach for many families. So meats, frozen meats, are always, always a wonderful thing to donate,” said Jones.

But this isn't the only gap they're helping to fill. Jones said they’ve been helping more people with rent and utility assistance.

“Affordable housing is a significant issue right now in our area, and so we are seeing the an influx of people looking for some backup and for some assistance, trying to make sure that we're preventing evictions,” said Jones.

In addition to housing assistance, the nonprofit also helps people with their ready-to-work program, sleep soundly program and the food box assistance program.

Donations and volunteers continue to provide a key role in the nonprofit fulfilling its mission. A large portion of their donations are from their thrift and furniture store.

“All of the funds that we generate in that store help to provide funding for all the programs and services. So donating a sofa or donating clothing or home decor provides a sofa or food for individuals in the community,” said Jones.

In addition to shelf stable items, like canned goods, the nonprofit is looking for people to donate meat products.

The Society of St. Vincent de Paul Northeast Ohio serves Ashtabula, Trumbull and Portage counties.