In North Syracuse, the Samaritan Center is bracing for a surge in demand as federal cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) ripple through Central New York. The center, which serves hot meals daily and connects guests to resources like case management, mental-health referrals, and clothing giveaways, expects to see more families come through its doors in the coming weeks.
Executive Director Mary Beth Frey said she anticipates up to a 50% increase in guests in months ahead.
“Samaritan Center will respond the way we always do. We’ll make it happen,” Frey said. “We’ll make more meals, we’ll get people through the door, and we’ll make sure that people are taken care of.”
The U.S. The Department of Agriculture reports roughly 30% of Syracuse families rely on SNAP benefits. Though the Trump administration announced partial funding for the program this week, organizations like Samaritan Center are still preparing for an aftershock.
Kitchen Supervisor Brenda Mims, who’s worked at the center for 27 years, says the need has already been noticeably rising.
“There’s a lot more people in shelters, homeless, and with not enough money,” she said. “We treat our people that come through the doors as guests, not as another face or another body.”
Chief Development Officer Joelle Harleston says Samaritan’s work goes far beyond meals.
“When you feed the soul and you preserve that dignity, you allow that person to get that strategy and momentum forward,” she said. “When they come here, it’s about connectivity. It’s about relationship. It’s about friendship.”
One success story is Nick Files, a cook at the center who once sat on the other side of the counter.
“I used to come here and eat when I was homeless twice a day,” he said. “That was the only time I ate. Then one day they offered me a job.”
Files battled with a 20-year drug addiction and was homeless for over a year. Now, sober, with his own apartment and steady work at the Samaritan Center, Files said he loves giving back. He was recently nominated by the Rescue Mission Alliance for a Hope Award honoring perseverance and service.
“This place helps a lot of people and makes them happy for a little while; they come in and have a nice meal, warm, and peaceful, and sit down and relax. ” he said. “I love helping people.”
Mims, who has seen three decades of hardship and recovery in the community, said that is what success looks like.
“They need somebody in their life to actually see them and hear them and give them a little bit of respect like they deserve,” she said. “And we try to do all of that here.”
Frey says that spirit will carry them through whatever happens next.
“We’ll keep hustling,” she said.
Anyone in need of food assistance can visit New York State’s federal cut impact website, which will link to a directory intended to connect residents to their local food bank or food pantry, and as well as a Service Finder Tool designed to connect New Yorkers with available state and community services amid the cuts.
