EARLE, Ark. — Earle Mayor Jaylen Smith has sent a letter to Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders, asking for her to declare a statewide disaster proclamation due to the pause in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) funding due to the ongoing federal shutdown.
Mayor Smith said over 240,000 Arkansans, including about 150,000 children, rely on the program. He said that a lapse in funding will have a harsher impact on rural communities, such as Earle, that already have limited access to food and employment…