DELBARTON, W.Va. — By the time the House of Hope mobile food pantry line began to move, a half-dozen cars had been waiting nearly four hours and about 70 more idled behind them. The distribution had been scheduled for 11 a.m., but the Facing Hunger Foodbank truck blew a tire on the way. No one complained.
Perry Hall stood in line. His wife, Lilly Hall, 59, volunteers with the pantry. Perry, who has multiple myeloma, gets about $1,500 a month from Social Security plus SNAP benefits. Lilly recently became subject to new SNAP work requirements because of her age and now faces the risk of losing benefits.
Under the federal One Big Beautiful Bill Act, all “able-bodied adults” 64 or younger without dependents who do not work, volunteer, or participate in job training at least 80 hours a month are limited to three months of SNAP benefits every three years. Previously the federal rule applied to people 54 or younger. The change, effective November, also covers parents of children 14 or older and removed exemptions for veterans, people experiencing homelessness, and young adults who aged out of foster care.
Supporters say work requirements encourage “work-ready” people to find and keep jobs, reducing dependence on assistance and promoting the “dignity of work.” But researchers say the rules do not increase employment.
Rhonda Rogombé, health and safety net policy analyst at the West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy, and colleagues studied SNAP work rules and found that requiring recipients to work does not lower a region’s unemployment rate. Work requirements were suspended during the covid pandemic and reinstated in fall 2023; in Mingo County, their analysis showed the average number of people employed each month actually fell after the rules returned.
A 2018 federal study using SNAP data from nine states likewise concluded that work requirements “have no impact on labor force participation and the number of hours worked.” Rogombé notes several possible reasons: hunger makes it harder to focus, engage in work, or maintain employment.
Jobs are scarce in Mingo County. Lilly has taken unpaid duties at a Delbarton restaurant until a waitress position opens — enough to preserve benefits but not ideal. On that mild March day, House of Hope handed out chicken, eggs, bread, potatoes, fresh produce and milk.
Pantry operator Timothy Treleven said clients include older residents and “some young people that have lost their way and they can’t get work and they just need help.” House of Hope’s regular distribution is the last Saturday of each month, supplemented by Facing Hunger visits when funds run low. On a typical Saturday, volunteers distribute up to 400 boxes.
Perry’s cancer is in remission, but treatment once required a 4½-hour trip each way to Morgantown; the couple paid a friend for rides when their van couldn’t make the trip. Mingo County’s population has fallen from about 27,000 in 2010 to just under 22,000 now; a quarter of residents live in poverty. Once fueled by coal, the region now has few mining jobs.
Rogombé’s research highlights significant barriers to work: unreported physical and mental impairments, housing instability, and low rates of high school diplomas and identification documents. Completing paperwork to get or confirm benefits is also difficult; about one in four residents lack reliable internet access, the research found.
Federal changes looming will shift more costs to states. Starting in October, states will assume 75% of SNAP administrative costs, and beginning in October 2027 they will owe additional funds tied to error rates. Poorer states such as Kentucky and West Virginia are expected to be hardest hit. The Kentucky Center for Economic Policy estimates up to 114,000 residents could lose SNAP benefits under expanded work requirements.
Jessica Klein of the Kentucky center warned of health consequences. “We know SNAP has an impact on health, and not just because it decreases food insecurity,” she said, noting effects on blood pressure, obesity, and medication adherence. With higher state costs, Klein said some states may tighten rules to shrink participation or, she fears, opt not to operate SNAP.
Community pantries are responding. At least eight in Mingo County offer groceries. Janet Gibson runs the Blessing Barn in Ben Creek and knows many residents personally. She said transportation makes finding volunteer opportunities or paid work difficult: a few dozen miles into a holler can take an hour or more, and gas prices strain limited budgets.
Outside West Virginia, single mother Trista Shankle of Paducah, Kentucky, who is earning a master’s in social work, said SNAP and other supports — Medicaid, housing aid, WIC, and TANF connections — helped her advance. If any were cut, she worried she might have to drop out of school. “They bring a sense of calm and comfort. I know that my kids aren’t going to go hungry,” she said.
Back in Delbarton, Lilly reported for work at Black Bear Trails Restaurant the first week of April. She’s grateful for the opportunity and vowed to take the first waitress opening she can.
KFF Health News is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues and is one of the core operating programs at KFF — the independent source for health policy research, polling, and journalism.