The lapse in SNAP funding during the government shutdown exposed gaps in students’ basic needs and prompted rapid response from colleges and local service providers. K–12 caseworkers and higher-education student-support offices reported surges in requests for groceries and emergency aid. Colleges and community organizations scrambled to stand up emergency funds, campus pantries and partnerships with local food banks; some institutions reported expanding meal grants and emergency stipends to prevent student attrition. Campus leaders warn the episode will have lingering effects: delayed benefits and administrative uncertainty have forced institutions to rethink safety nets and scale up basic-needs programs that were already strained before the funding lapse.