Florida officials say that, if the government shutdown continues, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance or SNAP benefits won’t be issued to recipients starting Nov. 1.
The federal assistance program is run by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The aid is distributed on a monthly basis to struggling families who need it to buy groceries.
Half a million Central Floridians rely on the SNAP program to buy food, milk, and other essentials. That number is closer to 3 million across the state.
But they won’t be getting any money next month on their EBT cards, if the shutdown continues, according to statements from the Trump administration and the Florida Department of Children and Families.
Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida President Derrick Chubbs said his food bank is preparing to meet the needs of these families, amid an already increasing demand for food.
He said Central Floridians have faced years of rising inflation and food prices. Now this.
“Our partners, which is around 700 of them, are already telling us that they're seeing additional traffic, just based on the assumption that SNAP benefits are going to be eliminated,” Chubbs said.
Chubbs said Second Harvest will need substantially more volunteers and donors to feed the additional people who rely on SNAP.
“And one of the wonderful things about Central Florida is that when we need help, Central Florida has been there,” Chubbs said. “Whether it was the pandemic, whether it was the last government shutdown in 2018 this community is one of the most supportive that I've ever had an opportunity to work in.”
The statewide view
Sky Beard is the Florida Director for national nonprofit No Kid Hungry. She said it’s time for the government to reopen and for SNAP benefits to be released on time.
“We really want to make sure that folks understand that it’s critical that the USDA, at the federal level, releases any available funds that they can to allow these important programs to continue throughout the month of November,” Beard said. “States need good guidance as to what they can do during the next couple days and into the next couple weeks as we get into November.”
Beard said there’s still a stigma around SNAP benefits. But she said everyone knows someone who uses SNAP, or has used SNAP. And they need and deserve this support.
“I think we have to remember that hunger is in every community. There are folks, including children and veterans, and our elderly neighbors, who really rely on these benefits,” Beard said.
In a statement, the Florida Department of Children and Families, which distributes the benefits statewide, says Floridians will continue to receive money on their EBT cards in October.
The DCF statement says: “SNAP recipients may receive notices about their eligible benefit amount for the month of November during this time, but November benefits will not be issued until federal funding is restored. If an individual has already submitted their application or renewal, there is no need to reapply - doing so will slow down the processing of their benefits.”
If families don’t use up all their SNAP benefits in October, they can use the remaining money in November. However, experts warn SNAP benefits are meager when it comes to covering only a month’s worth of food, let alone two months.
If you need food, click here. If you want to volunteer click here.
