Washtenaw County residents who rely on Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits for food are expecting a possible interruption in payouts if the federal shutdown continues into November.
Barbara Cecil is the Development Director for SOS Community Services in Ypsilanti. She says SOS has been receiving many calls from concerned residents worried about what to do if their SNAP benefits are withheld from the federal government.
She says food pantries across Washtenaw County will likely see higher demand for their assistance the longer the federal shutdown lasts.
“Folks who’ve been able to get by on their own resources and their SNAP benefits will begin relying on a greater degree on local pantries, which is going to place more demand on the pantry’s resources.”
Cecil says she encourages the local community to help pantries by donating food if they can. She says even if SOS has to ration food, if demand gets high enough, they will feed everyone they can during the shutdown.
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