The pause of SNAP benefits during the federal government shutdown caused some to appreciate how crucial the food assistance is to the Capital Region.
As a result of the shutdown, SNAP benefits ceased Nov. 1 before the Trump administration agreed to restore partial funding following orders from federal judges. As of last week, Electronic Benefit Transfer cards were reloaded and participants can once again use their benefits. Regional Food Bank CEO Tom Nardacci says everyone got a lesson on how impactful Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits are.
“SNAP, in our service area, is equivalent of about 36 million pounds of food per month. Annually, the food bank distributes about 50 million pounds,” Nardacci said. So if you think of that we couldn’t even cover two months of what SNAP covers so it’s important that the government funded that program.”
And more cuts are coming as part of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which changes work requirements that will make some current recipients ineligible.
