Texas food banks brace for SNAP freeze as corporations step up

Guadalupe Cucul, with her 3-year-old daughter, Iris Guadalupe, picks up groceries at a Central Texas Food Bank distribution at Nelson Field on Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025. The government shutdown has interrupted SNAP funding, increasing demand at food distribution sites across the city.

As the longest-ever federal government shutdown continues, millions of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program recipients are unsure when — or if — they’ll receive their benefits.

The Trump administration said last week it would not fund SNAP in November, prompting confusion and panic. Federal judges initially ordered partial funding for the program, then a judge ordered full funding. The administration appealed the decision to the U.S. Supreme Court, which issued an administrative stay that temporarily blocked November disbursements while a lower court reviews the case.

The legal whiplash has left families in limbo and pushed food banks to the brink, straining both financial and staffing resources. The Central Texas Food Bank, which serves 21 counties, said it will quadruple its monthly budget to keep pace with higher demand.

Here’s how corporations are stepping up to help the Central Texas Food Bank and other Texas food banks weather the storm.

Bank of America

Bank of America announced it would donate $5 million to support families and individuals with urgent food needs as a result of the shutdown, part of its larger $250 million investment in hunger relief efforts over the next five years.

The immediate $5 million will go to nearly 100 nonprofits addressing hunger in communities across the country, including in Texas. Before the announcement, Bank of America already had established relationships with more than 1,200 organizations that work to combat hunger and other issues.

“Our ongoing commitment to the needs of the local communities where we work and live is foundational to who we are at Bank of America,” said Sheri Bronstein, chief people officer at Bank of America. “We work closely with food banks, food pantries, and other basic-needs focused organizations every day, and this new commitment builds on decades of giving, volunteering, and partnership.”

Bank of America already had a standing seasonal commitment with Feeding America: the company will donate $2 for every dollar donated to the organization. Now, Bank of America will also match employee contributions, dollar for dollar, to organizations focused on combating hunger in the communities it serves.

Employees of the North Carolina-based bank have also committed to volunteering more than 100,000 hours between now and the end of the year to provide hands-on support.

Superior Healthplan and Centene Foundation

This week, the Texas-based Superior Healthplan and the Centene Foundation — the philanthropic arm of the Centene Corporation — released plans to invest $400,000 to combat hunger across Texas.

The donation will benefit nine food banks in the Lone Star State:

• Central Texas Food Bank, Austin
• Coastal Bend Food Bank, Corpus Christi
• East Texas Food Bank, Tyler
• El Pasoans Fighting Hunger, El Paso
• Food Bank of the Rio Grande Valley, Pharr
• Houston Food Bank, Houston
• San Antonio Food Bank, San Antonio
• South Plains Food Bank, Lubbock
• South Texas Food Bank, Laredo

The donation in Texas is part of a $1.5 million commitment from the Centene Foundation to support organizations nationwide.

Superior Healthplan is a company of Centene. It employs 3,500 people across Texas, and its work in the health care sector reaches all 254 counties.

H-E-B

H-E-B announced Oct. 24 it would donate $5 million to the Feeding Texas network and $1 million to Meals on Wheels programs across the state.

The Central Texas Food Bank will receive $700,000 from that donation.

“H-E-B’s generous donation to Texas food banks couldn’t have come at a more critical moment,” said Celia Cole, CEO of Feeding Texas, in a statement. “Across the state, families are facing mounting challenges, and this support will make an immediate and meaningful difference. We are deeply grateful to H-E-B for standing with our communities and helping ensure that no Texan goes hungry.”