Food Banks Hire Armed Security Ahead of Possible Food Stamp Riots

Food banks across the United States have begun contracting private armed security firms to protect distribution centers ahead of the nationwide termination of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits on November 1. The move, confirmed by executives at Feeding America and regional pantries in 12 states, cites intelligence reports of organized looting rings planning to target food distribution centers.

The move follows Democratic Congresspeople’s refusal to approve the national budget, which includes provisions to extend SNAP benefits to approximately 42 million households. With the cutoff three days away, food bank inventories are projected to face unprecedented demand spikes of 400 percent, according to USDA modeling.

At the Greater Chicago Food Depository’s 285,000-square-foot warehouse in the city’s South Side, Security Solutions has stationed 6 armed guards in rotating 12-hour shifts. Clad in tactical vests and carrying AR-15 rifles, they patrol docks where pallets of canned goods and frozen proteins are stacked 20 feet high.

“This isn’t about intimidation,” said depository worker Kate Maehr. “It’s about ensuring that the 1.2 million meals we distribute weekly reach families, not criminals who’ve been casing our facility since September.”

When asked how food banks can afford the high cost of security, she said, “We have generous donors; otherwise, we’d be on our own.”

Similar scenes are unfolding from Los Angeles to Atlanta. In Houston, the Food Bank of Greater Texas has installed ballistic glass at entry points and razor-wire atop perimeter fences. At the Atlanta Community Food Bank, volunteers on Friday received a memo saying that guards had been hired to protect both food and employees from “credible threats.” At Forgotten Harvest, a food rescue organization in Metro Detroit, volunteers told Real Raw News that the charity had hired armed security after noticing suspicious persons casing the establishment for several days.

Armed guards at food pantries have sparked a debate. The ACLU has decried the militarization of relief centers, whereas others, like Dallas Police Chief Daniel Comeaux, have championed the move because, he said, his department lacks the manpower to safeguard all 47 food banks in the Dallas Metro area.

As November 1 approaches, food bank leaders warn of a potential “hunger riot” scenario. In Phoenix, the St. Mary’s Food Bank has distributed numbered tickets and instituted metal detectors. “We’re preparing for the worst,” said volunteer Jeremy Brown.