Johnson County food pantries say they are preparing for an influx of need amid uncertainty created by the ongoing federal government shutdown and a legal fight over federal food benefits.
Originally, the U.S. Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP — sometimes referred to as food stamps — was set to run out of money on Saturday amid the ongoing government shutdown. However, two federal court rulings on Friday ordered the Trump administration to fund the food assistance program using contingency money while the shutdown continues.
Those rulings keep nearly 42 million people across the country from losing access to their federal food and nutrition benefits, including more than 5,200 households in Johnson County, according to data from the Johnson County Department of Health and Environment…