About 1,583 Bucks County residents have lost SNAP benefits since federal work requirements took effect in November 2025. Local food pantries report demand not seen since the COVID pandemic.

The Bucks County Opportunity Council (BCOC), headquartered in Doylestown, runs a network of more than 74 food pantries and distribution sites countywide. Elizabeth Zbinden, BCOC's food program manager, said pantries are seeing familiar faces return, as the Bucks County Beacon reported in August.

"We are seeing an increased number of our pantries reporting an increased number of participants coming," Zbinden told the Beacon. "They're [many of] the people who they haven't seen for a couple years coming back again."

The losses stem from HR1, the federal budget bill signed by President Trump. The law expanded SNAP work requirements starting Nov. 1, 2025. Adults ages 54 to 64, parents with children ages 14 to 18, foster youth ages 18 to 24 and U.S. veterans now fall under the Able-Bodied Adults Without Dependents (ABAWD) category and must meet work reporting rules to keep benefits.

Statewide, the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services estimates about 89,000 residents have lost SNAP as of July 2026. Brandon Cwalina, the department's press secretary, told the Beacon that many lost benefits because of new eligibility requirements, additional work reporting rules and more frequent paperwork reviews mandated by HR1.

Philabundance, the Feeding America-affiliated food bank serving nine counties including Bucks, distributed 25% more food per month from November 2025 through January 2026 in response to the crisis. Maria Raha, Philabundance's director of communications and marketing, told the Beacon that overall distribution rose 3% year over year from fiscal year 2025 to fiscal year 2026.

Zbinden said BCOC pantries are keeping up with demand for now, partly because Pennsylvania farms are donating seasonal produce. She cautioned that the abundance is temporary. The fresh food is perishable, and shelf-stable supplies have been reduced by federal cuts.

Food prices across the northeastern United States rose 3.5% in 2026, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Price Index. County-level data is not available.

BCOC's executive director and CEO, Erin Lukoss, warned in a county statement in October 2025 that the charitable food network could not fill the gap left by SNAP cuts. At that time, SNAP aid to Bucks County residents totaled about $8.5 million per month.

In 2024–2025, BCOC's food program distributed 3 million pounds of food and recorded more than 91,000 pantry visits and nearly 39,000 Fresh Connect visits across the county.

Residents in the Doylestown area who need food assistance can visit the Doylestown Food Pantry at 470 Old Dublin Pike (Monday 1–3:30 p.m., Wednesday 4:30–7 p.m., Thursday 10 a.m.–12:30 p.m., 215-345-4311 ext. 101) or the New Britain Food Pantry at 22 East Butler Ave. (Monday and Wednesday 8 a.m.–12 p.m., 215-527-9377). BCOC's Fresh Connect free farmers market operates weekly in Warminster, Quakertown, Palisades and Bristol. The Central Bucks client services office is at 252 W. Swamp Rd., Doylestown, 267-733-0529.