Oklahoma SNAP enrollment has dropped 20%. Here's what it sounds like in local food banks

Published October 9, 2026 at 6:30 AM CDT

Visitors of God's Food Bank in Guthrie push their carts in the self-serve pantry.

By Anna Pope, Oklahoma Public Media Exchange

For months, changes to federal food aid have been unfolding.

In Oklahoma, enrollment in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program has dropped 20.8% from June 2025 to June 2026, according to data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). About 144,180 Oklahomans have fallen off the program in that time period.

There have been large changes to the program itself and how it is structured since the Trump Administration took office, which is trickling down to the local level.

The Big Beautiful Bill Act, or H.R.1, expanded work requirements, scrapped eligibility for certain legal immigrants and shifted hundreds of millions of dollars in costs from the federal government to states.

Moreover, some states are excluding certain junk food from SNAP purchases and there are new rules for what stores must stock to keep accepting the benefit.

Now, millions of people are losing their SNAP benefits. Since July 2025, the latest USDA data show about 5.2 million people are no longer getting the assistance.

Oklahoma ranks sixth in the nation for food insecurity. Through policy twists and turns, food banks and pantries across Oklahoma have been working to meet people's needs.

KOSU’s Anna Pope visited a couple of food banks to hear from people firsthand.