Polk County’s food relief network is preparing for the expected lapse of SNAP benefits the same way it mobilized for COVID — quickly, collectively and at emergency scale.
On Nov. 3, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced it will use roughly $4.6 billion from a contingency fund to cover about half of November’s SNAP benefits amidst the government shutdown, according to reporting from the Associated Press.
According to reporting from CBS, the White House press secretary confirmed the administration is “fully complying” with a court order to fund SNAP, but cautioned that it may take weeks or months to distribute the reduced benefits.
Why it matters
14.6% of Polk County residents rely on SNAP, according to the United Community Indicators dashboard by United Way of Central Florida and GiveWell Community Foundation…