The lapse in SNAP benefit disbursements during the shutdown produced a rapid surge in need that K–12 schools and colleges scrambled to meet. Communities In Schools and local affiliates reported steep spikes in requests for groceries and emergency aid, prompting a national nonprofit to deploy emergency grants to campus programs supporting families. Colleges likewise expanded basic‑needs supports—food pantries, emergency grants and coordinated campus efforts—to prevent student hunger and housing instability as SNAP benefits stalled. The rush of demand exposed vulnerabilities in student and family safety nets and amplified calls for more resilient campus-based wraparound services.