SALT LAKE CITY — Utahns who depend upon Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits for food will need to find other resources for assistance, as payments will not be issued in November.
The Utah Department of Workforce Services said Tuesday that the pause is due to the ongoing government shutdown, which has entered its fourth week — the second-longest shutdown ever.
SNAP payments in the form of food stamps, which are 100% federally funded, help approximately 86,000 Utah households purchase food each month, according to the department.
Should the shutdown not be resolved by Nov. 1, all SNAP services may be interrupted, according to the state. Those who use SNAP cards may find that they will not operate correctly after the first of November, even if there is a balance in the account.
Locked doors, suspended programs deny Utahns much-needed shutdown support:
"It's scary," said Jennifer Snyder, a SNAP recipient. "I have to find other resources and other means of ways to get my family and myself food. I just got a new apartment, and I’m not ready to struggle yet again. I just got ahead."
Gina Cornia, the executive director of Utahns Against Hunger, says needs have ramped up since the shutdown began.
“We’ve seen our community partners who are providing direct food assistance — that demand has just skyrocketed,” Cornia said.
She said the shutdown would need to be resolved no later than Monday for November benefits to be given in time.
Snyder isn't just worried about herself, but about her fellow SNAP recipients — especially parents.
“They’re worried, they’re scared, they’re hurt, they don’t know what's going to happen from day to day, how they’re going to feed their child,” she said.
Lee St. Onge also expressed concern for the elderly.
“There’s a couple other seniors I know — one is on hospice that will be definitely affected by this," he said. "That’s all they have to buy food is their food stamps because of the high rent."
Meanwhile, Cornia advises people to spend all of October's SNAP funds. She also urges Utahns to call their representatives and senators and "demand that the USDA release funding."
The state offered contact information for those who need assistance during the SNAP pause:
- Call 211: Information about food pantries, meal sites and other available resources
- 211Utah.org: Food pantry locations by geography
- uah.org: Emergency food resources
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