As thousands of Mecklenburg County residents face changes to food and health assistance, Charlotte-area nonprofits are preparing for more people to seek help — even as some organizations report cuts to their own funding and food supplies. Nourish Up, the region’s largest food pantry, served 38,718 people through its Food Shares program in August, an 83% increase from the roughly 21,000 served in August 2025. The program distributes surplus fresh food to anyone who arrives, without screening for eligibility. Nourish Up has expanded distribution from about once a week to three times a week to meet demand. The organization’s CEO, Tina Postel, said staff are hearing from people whose food assistance has been reduced or ended, including first-time pantry clients. One Mecklenburg resident recently told the nonprofit their monthly food-benefit payment had fallen to $24. The average local Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefit was $175 per recipient per month last year, according to county data. A federal law signed in July 2025 tightened SNAP and Medicaid requirements. Among the changes, many adults ages 55 to 64 must meet work requirements that previously did not apply to them because of age. For SNAP recipients, the requirement took effect Dec. 1, 2025; Medicaid work requirements are scheduled to begin in 2027. Those subject to the rule must document 80 hours of work, school, training or volunteering each month. Exceptions include certain medical conditions, disabilities, caregiving responsibilities and pregnancy. The law also moved SNAP and Medicaid renewals from every year to every six months. Benefits navigator Karina Barnes of Charlotte Center for Legal Advocacy said the added paperwork and tighter deadlines could cause eligible people to lose assistance if they miss a notice or submit incomplete documents. Proving work can be especially difficult for people who are self-employed or work informal jobs, she said. Mecklenburg County recorded an average of 151,606 SNAP participants in the fiscal year ending June 2025. That average fell to 138,101 in the following fiscal year, and participation has averaged 128,596 since July 2026 — nearly 7% below the previous year, according to Ellese Massey, an assistant division director with the county’s Department of Community Resources. The county cannot determine how much of the decline is due to the new law versus economic conditions or other factors, though officials say they have heard that some people who previously qualified no longer do. The county has not seen a corresponding drop in applications, Massey said. Residents continue to seek help, but fewer are receiving benefits. More frequent renewals are also expected to increase work for public agencies and nonprofit navigators. Charlotte Center for Legal Advocacy has cut its benefits navigator staff from 12 to three following funding reductions and has reduced the number of health-insurance enrollment appointments it can provide by more than 80%, Barnes said. Food costs and reduced federal food support are adding pressure. Nourish Up said it has received 50% less food through the federal Emergency Food Assistance Program and has had to buy more groceries. U.S. Department of Agriculture data show beef prices were 5.9% higher in August 2026 than a year earlier, while fresh fruit prices rose 3.8% and vegetable prices 2.6%. The scale of need far exceeds what food charities can provide on their own. Mecklenburg residents received about $24 million in SNAP benefits in November 2025, while Nourish Up’s annual budget is about $7 million, Postel said. Health coverage may bring another wave of need. More than 345,600 North Carolina residents are projected to lose Medicaid coverage next year because of new requirements or difficulties completing renewals, according to NC Health News. Changes to eligibility for some noncitizens have also begun, Barnes said. The new rules could affect families relying on other programs, including WIC, which supports pregnant and postpartum women, infants and children under 5. Nonprofits say they can help residents understand the rules and find available resources, but their capacity is limited. With SNAP participation falling and Medicaid changes still ahead, Barnes warned that people could be left without food or medical care if assistance systems and community organizations cannot keep up.