Two months ago, a 46-year-old eastern Pennsylvania man collapsed in his home. His wife called an ambulance and he was rushed to the hospital. Max has struggled with congestive heart failure and while medical professionals labored to get his cardiac function under control, he developed complicating side effects. By the time Max returned to his full-time job – six weeks had passed. With bills piling up and their household income down to one paycheck, he and his wife were struggling to buy food.
Unfortunately for Max he’s what the feds call an ABAWD – and Able-Bodied Adult Without Dependents. Able-Bodied because he has no formal federal designation as disabled. He works remotely in tech support for a company that has no long-term benefits package and limited comp time.
Max returned to work the day after he got home. According to last year’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act of 2025 – Max had to be working to even ask for help. “I went on to the website, filled out the application. Then I had to wait for a phone interview. You don’t get to set the time or the day for the interview.”
Unfortunately for him, Max isn’t allowed to take calls at work.
According to Brandon Cwalina, Press Secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services, “As of July 2026, PA DHS estimates that approximately 89,000 Pennsylvanians have lost SNAP benefits, 1,583 of which are in Bucks County.”
Cwalina explained, “Certain SNAP recipients are now subject to SNAP work requirements and time limits because of the federal budget bill (HR1) passed by Congressional Republicans and signed by President Trump. As of November 1, 2025, Pennsylvanians needed to comply with work requirements to continue to receive their SNAP, unless they met an exemption.”
The number of people with limitations that prevent them from following through with the application process is not available. And while Max’s loss of income qualified him for SNAP, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, meeting the regulations for filing proved impossible.
So, Max and his wife have cut back, canceled streaming subscriptions, “I’ve had to drop my subscription for the software that I use for graphic design for my side job.” He’s also dipped into dwindling savings and changed how they shop for food.
“I’m using money that is in very short supply coming back to work after being on medical leave.” The couple has tried to purchase the smallest possible amounts, “We’ve been having to buy piecemeal. Buying things as we need them. Which makes them cost more.”
Max now lacks the resources to plan meals ahead of time and buy in larger, more cost-effective quantities. “We haven’t been able to do our usual grocery order like we used to – in order to get the best prices.”
Purchasing food isn’t just a burden because Max had been hospitalized since June. Prices have risen since he last tried to fill his cart. While statistics aren’t available for Bucks County alone, The US Department of Labor Statistics Consumer Price Index indicates that food prices have increased 3.5 percent this year across the northeastern United States.
“We are seeing an increased number of our pantries reporting an increased number of participants coming. They’re [many of] the people who they haven’t seen for a couple years coming back again.” – Bucks County Opportunity Council Food Program Manager Elizabeth Zbinden
As for options, Max could turn to charitable food sources for help. He lives in the Philabundance catchment area – Philabundance supplies nine counties including dozens of food pantries in Bucks County. He could go to one of them except he works full time, has no vehicle and has a heart condition – making lugging groceries less than ideal.
Maria Raha, Director of Communications and Marketing for Philabundance, the Feeding America affiliated food bank, told Bucks County Beacon, “The pounds of food we distributed increased 3% year over year (from fiscal year 2025 to fiscal year 2026) across our nine-county service area.”
That 3% increase may not sound like much, but Raha explained that the data is skewed by an enormous uptick in demand since Trump and the Republicans ‘big beautiful bill, or HR1, tightened qualifications for federal food assistance. “That percentage increase includes three months in late 2025, when we distributed 25% more per month from November to January in response to the SNAP crisis.”
Cwalina’s DHS numbers support the cause and effect. “These Pennsylvanians lost their ability to feed their families largely due to new eligibility requirements, new work reporting requirements and increased bureaucratic paperwork spurred by more frequent redeterminations mandated in HR1,” adding, “thanks to Donald Trump and Congressional Republicans’ decision to give a tax cut to the wealthiest Americans at the expense of the most vulnerable.”
Bucks County Opportunity Council hasn’t seen increased demand like this since the COVID pandemic. Elizabeth Zbinden, BCOC’s Food Program Manager said, “We are seeing an increased number of our pantries reporting an increased number of participants coming. They’re [many of] the people who they haven’t seen for a couple years coming back again.”
Cwalina defined the most vulnerable to SNAP cuts who are looking for help. ABAWDs now include elders between the ages of 54 and 64, persons with dependent children between the ages of 14 and 18, those – like Max – considered physically and mentally able to work, foster youth in the first few years after aging out of placement (18 to 24) and U.S. veterans.
DHS understands that the interview process is an additional barrier to those who are hungry. Cwalina explains that there’s no alternative for workers like Max with workplace restrictions on using the phone. “The eligibility interview process has always been a requirement to receive SNAP, and we know that SNAP recipients have historically worked while navigating the eligibility process. However, HR1 presents additional, unprecedented changes for our SNAP recipients, and we are concerned that people are losing SNAP not because they’re not eligible, but because more hurdles are being put in their way.”
For now, Zbinden says BCOC pantries are keeping up with the demand. Federal cuts from HR1 have resulted in shelf stable foods being in shorter supply, but – for now – Pennsylvania farms have been picking up the slack. “Pantries have enough quantity right now because we live in Pennsylvania. There’s a lot of local produce being donated or being made available for purchase [by food banks] which is phenomenal and great.”
Zbinden cautioned that the current abundance is seasonal and that the food stuffs won’t last long on pantry shelves. “It’s just more perishable.”
The loss of SNAP benefits isn’t the only reason people are changing their shopping or eating habits. Folks with more disposable incomes are finding inflationary pressures have impacted their ability to stick to old habits for dining.
The Adams County Farmers Market, situated in Pennsylvania’s farming heartland, has noted marked changes in patrons’ shopping habits. The market – which has historically doubled the value of SNAP purchasing power, has started tripling it – helping folks who still qualify to continue getting fresh produce. But shoppers who pay cash or credit card have lost spending power and are changing their habits.
Market Manager, Reza Djalal explained, “Foot traffic at the market this year has been up by about 8% compared to year-to-date last year, which is great. It means more people are strolling through. But,” Djalal said, “Sales are actually down.”
And while Djalal hasn’t completed a deep dive on the numbers yet, the culprit for decreased sales is hot food – something SNAP won’t pay for and is sold exclusively to patrons with cash or credit cards.
Djalal said that after a quick look at his spreadsheets, “A big area where I’m seeing a decrease is our food trucks … some of our food trucks would have regular $1,500 days, you know, and now I’m seeing breaking $1,000 is becoming rarer.”
Adams County food trucks may be the smallest most mobile purveyors of prepared food but statistics show that they indicate inflationary pressures are impacting America’s overall dining trend.
Like the food trucks, the National Restaurant Association – has noted a distinct drop in profitability as well – and to the same degree, about 33 percent.
Vanessa Sink, Senior Director of Media Relations for the National Restaurant Association, says that between the first and second half of 2026, “36% of adults spent less in restaurants in Q2 than Q1.” Second quarter also showed customers “35% used more discounts or value promotions … and ordered fewer add-on items like desserts or drinks.” Additionally, Sink said that their figures indicate, “34% went to less expensive restaurants than they usually do.”
The results? Sink explained that with food costs up 35% in 2026, “33% of operators said that they were not profitable in the first half of 2026.”
Sink didn’t have exact numbers for Pennsylvania sales, but her website fact sheet shows that restaurants are the third largest employer in the commonwealth and nine out of ten of them are small businesses.
On the ground in Bucks County, one of those small businesses – the Original Eagle Diner in Bristol – has raised prices for the first time in three years. Ozzie, the manager explained, “We don’t [generally] raise prices but we did raise them earlier this year because of the economy.”
That said, Ozzie says the townspeople seem to understand. “You do see some effects [of inflation on business] – if you ask any worker they’ll say it’s fewer vacationers.” Still business is steady because, “Our regulars are very regular … it’s the travelers that aren’t so much, unfortunately.”
