Pride Center, Witch Bitch Thrift Step Up In SNAP Crisis

Top: O.A. looks over the bare shelves at the Pride Center. Bottom: The food pantry at Witch Bitch Thrift. Lucy Gellman Photos.

When S.C. heard that the government was turning off SNAP benefits on November 1, their thoughts went immediately to their 5-year-old daughter, who needs fresh, nutritious food to fuel her growing mind and body. Without the extra funding, would she get enough to eat? 

Then S.C. thought about their mom, a pharmacy tech struggling with the rising cost of groceries. Then their aunt, a school bus driver who still needs a little extra help to make ends meet. Then many friends who are food insecure. 

The list kept growing, even as they balanced the mental gymnastics of food pantry visits, a new job on the horizon, and a gnawing hunger that had already been present for hours.

S.C. is one of the thousands of Connecticut residents—including almost 31,000 New Haveners—navigating cuts to the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or SNAP,  which provides life-saving dollars to people and families facing food insecurity across the state. Last week, they found themselves facing down a month of hunger ahead, and worried for family members as their benefits run out. 

“We’re now not receiving things that are necessary,” S.C. said in an interview at the New Haven Pride Center, which runs a food pantry and has put out a call for emergency food aid as its shelves grow empty almost as fast as they are stocked. “What if you can’t get everything you need?”

“It affects people on an individual basis but it also affects communities,” added their friend O.A., who said he didn’t know where his next meal was coming from. “Food is a basic necessity. Just because someone is poor doesn’t mean they don’t get to eat. The government is supposed to be for the people. It’s against the people. And it has been.” 

As of the writing of this article, two federal courts had ruled that the government must continue providing SNAP benefits during the government shutdown. On Monday, the Trump Administration announced that it would partially fund SNAP, but has not released any benefits. Then on Tuesday morning, Trump said that he planned to defy the court order and not pay out benefits until the shutdown ends.

Meanwhile, the United Way of Greater New Haven has launched an Emergency Response Fund that provides direct financial assistance to families facing SNAP cuts. Several New Haven organizations have stepped in as a partial bridge, from CitySeed to Christian Community Action to multiple soup kitchens and food pantries. Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont has also announced a $500 million contingency fund meant to address the growing pain of federal cuts to state residents. 

For people like S.C., that translates to mounting frustration and anxiety, from where they will get their next meal to whether their daughter, who currently lives with their grandparents, will have enough to eat at mealtimes. Until earlier this year, their household—that’s two people and an older roommate—was receiving about $295 in SNAP assistance, enough to make a difference with the rising cost of groceries each month.

Then in June, they had their benefits cut off, ostensibly because they had gotten a new job. But that job didn’t hold—meaning that they needed those extra dollars to bridge a gap, and the money never came. While they work as a nail tech and hair stylist, they see the strain of rising grocery prices on their client base; people are spending less money on anything they consider extra, because basic needs like food and housing have become so costly.   

A lack of benefits means more time commuting to food pantries, they explained—time that they don’t specifically have, particularly with the state of public transit in New Haven and Connecticut (they are also disabled, but said that the state denied their application for disability). Recently, they made the trek to East Norwalk, where a pantry at St. Thomas the Apostle provided meat, milk, bread and oil—often rarities at food distribution sites. 

Last Thursday, the only things left on the shelves at the Pride Center were puréed baby food pouches, black beans and bags of rice. 

Meanwhile, they worry that the gap in funding will mean less fresh and healthy food for their daughter, despite the fact that their grandparents do everything in their power to make sure she is well cared for and fed. For kids, 16 million of whom have now lost SNAP benefits across the country, hunger is especially scary because it can interfere with critical milestones in early childhood development. 

That’s the thing about cuts to federal benefits, added O.A.—they often assist people who are already working multiple jobs, and still struggling to make ends meet. As the cost of basic necessities continues to rise, that extra money from SNAP (prior to November, the average benefit per person was $190) can be the difference between skipping meals, skimping on foods like meat, dairy and protein, and having enough to eat. No patchwork of emergency food aid, from donations to food banks to pantry pick-ups, can replace that single chunk of federal funding.  

“It’s really upsetting to me,” O.A. said. As his benefits get cut off this month, “I’m worried about my family, my friends, and the community I work with at the Pride Center. It makes me really upset to see them struggle, too … losing SNAP benefits takes a mental health toll on people. It’s physical, too.”

While O.A. is grateful for emergency food assistance in the community, he added, pantries don’t provide the same access and freedom that SNAP or an EBT card does—particularly for people who are disabled, or have food allergies and dietary restrictions. Some pantries, like the Hamden Food Bank, only distribute food to residents who live within the town. Others are too far away to get to on public transit. Others may have a generous mission, but be unable to provide the amount or type of food that a person needs. 

“It’s disappointing to me because it helps a lot of people," chimed in Jayden Smith. With benefits cut off, “it creates a lot of issues. They’re going to starve people.”

New Haven Pride Center Director of Operations Laura Boccadoro (right) and her fiancée, Ashley Buhrer, at New Haven Pride earlier this year.

Laura Boccadoro, director of operations at the Pride Center, said that the pantry is urgently in need of food, and urged those who are able to donate resources to do so. In particular, Center staff are looking for non-perishable items, including canned and dry beans, canned meat and fish, shelf-stable milk, pasta and sauce, oatmeal, bottled water and electrolyte drinks, baby food and formula. A full list is available here.

While the Center receives food from Connecticut Foodshare, including a one-time emergency grant this fall, “our orders are half what they were a year ago,” Boccadoro said. The gap that the Center has long been trying to feel not feels more like a chasm, or maybe a cliff. She added that the Center is planning to get a chest freezer, which will expand its ability to accept refrigerated and frozen foods. 

“Oh my goodness. We are already seeing the panic,” she added in a phone call at the end of last week, already preparing for the cutoff that was coming. “There are kids here telling me, ‘I don’t know where I’m going to get food starting November 1.’ The crisis is already imminent to be honest, and it’s really hard to see.”    

“We Gotta Eat” 

Virginia Semeghini outside Witch Bitch Thrift. 

As organizations across the city step up to bridge the gap—by Monday, they ranged from CitySeed and Christian Community Action to Loaves & Fishes, Downtown Evening Soup Kitchen (DESK) and Integrated Refugee & Immigrant Services (IRIS)—some of New Haven and Hamden’s small businesses and nonprofits have also emerged as helpers. 

Not quite a mile from the New Haven Pride Center, Witch Bitch Thrift co-owner Virginia Semeghini has launched a food pantry in the shop, which since 2022 has become a sort of beloved “third space” in the city. On any given day, there is already a station for free bottled water, a community fund for those who can’t afford clothes, and spots to sit and take a load off throughout the store. 

So for Semeghini, a food pantry felt natural. Growing up in Brazil, she experienced food insecurity herself, a mix of poverty and familial circumstances. After moving to the U.S. as a teenager, she learned what it meant for other people to take care of her, from friends who told her how to use a food pantry to those that checked in on her, then offered to cover meals.

“They would call me and be like, ‘Hey, have you eaten today?’” she remembered. If the answer was no, they often would pick her up and feed her. Only later did she recognize that that was part of what it meant to be food insecure. 

When, in late October, she first heard the news that the Trump Administration would be halting SNAP benefits during the government shutdown, she proposed that staff bring the issue to their weekly meeting. The rest organized itself. 

“It just felt obvious to me,” she said Tuesday afternoon, shortly before heading to the polls. “As soon as we heard about SNAP, I was like, ‘What are we gonna do?’ It just felt right to do a pantry.”

Staff put out a call on social media, and donations started rolling in. By the first week of November, there were so many items—mostly nonperishables, from cans of black beans, flour, and tinned fish to baby wipes and formula—that staff filled tubs with itemized supplies, and stacked them on top of each other. In addition, Semeghini has worked with Spruce Coffee to set up a grilled cheese voucher system, through which people can get a free hot sandwich. 

Brittany and Alan Goodin. 

When patrons ask her about monetary donations, she’s suggested giving direct financial support to the Downtown Evening Soup Kitchen, because they already know how to stretch dollars for emergency food aid. She’s currently looking for more businesses to partner with for warm meals. 

Store employee Neo said that handwarmers, footwarmers, socks, gloves, hats, can openers and shelf-stable milk are all especially helpful, particularly as it starts to get cold. “I would love to know where there’s a community microwave,” they added. 

Tuesday, Witch Bitch Patrons Alan and Brittany Goodin said they were grateful for the help. Months ago, they moved to New Haven from Michigan, in search of better healthcare and housing options. But housing in the region is prohibitive, and the two have been living in a tent. As the weather begins to grow cold, they’re thankful for a spot like Witch Bitch, where they can come during the day to charge their devices, stay warm and pick up food supplies. 

“It’s very helpful,” said Brittany, listing off the tuna, bread, tortillas, toilet paper and baby wipes that have helped keep the couple fed and clean for the last days. “It’s very much needed. Otherwise we would be hungry.” 

“We gotta eat, man,” added Alan.  

Further up Whitney Avenue in Hamden, Best Video Film and Performance Center is also running a food drive for Loaves & Fishes. Through Nov. 10, people can drop off nonperishables and clean children’s clothing to the organization during the hours it is open. 

Executive Director Raizine Bruton, who grew up between New Haven and Derby, called it an easy way for the nonprofit and its supporters to get involved. As a kid, Bruton spent time in family shelters, where the only nutrition she could sometimes access came from a food pantry. 

She knows what it’s like to be hungry—and the stigma that often comes with it. Now that she’s in a position to give back, she’s eager to do so. In the future, she said, she envisions working with local organizations to hold drives for school supplies drive, winter coats and warm clothing, and other needs that have yet to be determined.  

“What other ways can we come together?” she asked aloud in a phone call. “There’s always gonna be a need.”

Click here for an emergency food assistance resource guide. The New Haven Pride Center is accepting donations of nonperishable food, shelf-stable milk, and baby food/formula, at 50 Orange St. during open hours, Monday through Friday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Witch Bitch Thrift is open and accepting donations Tuesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. To donate to CitySeed, which is providing double bucks for produce to SNAP recipients, click here. To donate to Downtown Evening Soup Kitchen, click here. To donate to Loaves & Fishes, click here.