The recent SNAP shutdown highlighted the vulnerability of America’s food assistance system. When a federal program that supports more than 40 million people experiences a disruption, even briefly, communities feel the shock immediately. In the scramble to respond, many well-intentioned individuals and organizations set up micro food pantries to help fill the gap. Their compassion is real. However, these small and uncoordinated efforts can unintentionally undermine the very systems designed to protect food-insecure households.

The thesis is simple: Micro pantries create harmful distortions in data, weaken established support networks and can jeopardize future funding for millions who rely on food assistance.

To understand why, it is helpful to examine how traditional food banks and pant

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