On Oct. 23, Donna Jean Thomas and 149 other residents of Heritage Court Apartments in Spartanburg woke up to an email that shocked them.

"With the continued government shutdown, there may be no SNAP benefits paid for Nov 2025,” the email read.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development property is home to 150 low-income senior citizens. All are on approximately $1,000 a month income, said Thomas, 68.

After she pays her rent and gets her benefits, $279 would have to last her most of the month. She and her neighbors depend on the benefits from the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program to eat.

The federal program, better known as SNAP, gives low-income households monthly funds to buy groceries. Benefits are loaded onto an Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) card, which

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