Walz directs $4 million to food shelves as SNAP cutoff approaches

EAGAN — Gov. Tim Walz is giving food banks a $4 million boost as the emergency food system braces for the temporary pause of SNAP benefits due to the federal government shutdown.

SNAP — Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also known as food stamps — is paid for by the federal government, and funding has run out. Recipients will not receive their benefits — usually in the form of a credit on an electronic benefits transfer (EBT) card — in the month of November unless Congress reconvenes and passes a spending bill.

That means the 440,000 Minnesotans who typically rely on SNAP for food are likely to seek help from food shelves instead. Most SNAP recipients are children, seniors and people with disabilities.

Jason Viana, executive director of The Open Door food shelf in Eagan, said his organization is already seeing heightened demand, and is planning to increase distribution in the coming weeks.

“All the work and care of our community is not enough to solve an absolutely solvable crisis,” Viana said Monday at a press conference.

Walz visited The Open Door to discuss the $4 million his administration is sending to food shelves around the state to temporarily boost food supply.

The $4 million will “absolutely be enough to help for a small period of time, but it won’t make us whole,” Viana said.

The money comes from the Department of Human Services budget. Most is from the “human services fund,” which is intended for emergency services, said Tikki Brown, commissioner of the Department of Children, Youth, and Families. The rest is from the Family First Prevention Services Act, which is meant to support at-risk children and families.

Walz said members of Congress need to “get back to work,” though he also said that Democrats should continue to refuse to vote for a budget bill that doesn’t include health care subsidies for “as long as it takes.”

About 1 in 5 Minnesota households experienced food insecurity in 2024, according to a statewide survey.

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