Inside a small cubicle at the Bladen County Department of Social Services, Vanesa Sanchez balances her phone on her shoulder as her fingers fly across the keyboard.
She's one of 12 caseworkers who check eligibility for SNAP in a rural county where roughly one in five residents relies on federal food assistance. She's got a busy day ahead.
"I'm working on reviews, calling the clients. Making sure we have all the documentation that we need," she said. At any given time, she's managing more than 300 cases.
“We're just consistently always working on something," she said. "We don't actually have any downtime."
But her workload could soon grow heavier as new eligibility and work requirements in President Trump's tax-and-spending law — known as the "Big Beautiful Bill" — reach more recipients.
“More than likely, I’m going to get more phone calls in regards to that policy,” Sanchez said.
Just as her workload grows, federal funding for the program is expected to shrink. Starting Oct. 1, the law will cut in half the amount of federal funding states and counties receive to run their SNAP programs, reducing the federal share of administrative costs from 50% to 25%.
“So you’ve got more work, and now less funding,” said Karen Powell, executive director of the North Carolina Association of County Directors of Social Services.
In total, North Carolina counties stand to lose about $69 million in federal SNAP administrative funding, and Powell said small, rural counties like Bladen may feel the impact the most.
“I would say that your smaller counties are certainly saying, look, we don’t know how we’re going to take on this extra work,” Powell said. “We can’t staff the work we have now."
A county looking for savings
Bladen County Manager Sam Croom estimates his county could lose about $400,000.
“That is not quite one cent on the tax rate,” Croom said.
He doesn't want to cut staff, and he doesn't want to raise taxes, "because people are struggling with inflation, struggling to keep up with what’s going on at the grocery stores,” he said.
Instead, Croom is planning to scale back the county's use of contractors, delay routine purchases and look for savings elsewhere.
But the margins are slim. Bladen County already cut its budget by 14% last year and dipped into reserves.
County leaders have asked state lawmakers to help cover the lost funding, but so far, they have received no response.
Still, Bladen County Social Services Director Jill Sampson said she remains hopeful.
“I’m hoping (the state) will come through,” Sampson said. “There’s a lot depending on that for a lot of counties — not just small counties but all counties.”
For now, her staff are keeping up with caseloads. But she worries about what would happen if the economy worsens and more people need help.
“That would be my concern — that if those caseloads increase, what that’s going to look like for us and the impact for the citizens, but also for our staff,” Sampson said.
Signs of growing need
Across the street from the DSS office, about two dozen older adults gather for lunch at Bladen County's senior center.
The meals are free, and staff say they've noticed more new faces as grocery prices have climbed.
“It guarantees I get at least one meal a day,” said 74-year-old Charles Perry.
Perry comes almost every day. Although he receives SNAP benefits, he says he struggles to stretch them through the month.
“With the price of groceries so high, it takes a lot more of my stamps than it used to,” Perry said.
County staff says it's people like Perry they're most worried about. With more caseloads, tight staffing and less funding, officials worry it could become harder to serve residents who rely on the program.
For now, Croom says Bladen County is doing what it can. But as other costs keep rising — including fuel, electricity and employee health insurance — he worries about more tough choices ahead.
“If it comes down to simply we do not have the resources or the money to do this, then that’s the hard day where you have to tell people ‘no,’ because you simply cannot afford to help them,” Croom said.
He says he wants to serve residents, but at this moment, it’s the county that’s in need.
