After the back-and-forth about when, or even whether, SNAP benefits would be issued during the 43-day government shutdown, Sioux Falls and South Dakota’s more rural communities are still grappling with reduced or even no food stamp benefits.
“We cannot fundraise our way out of this situation to support SNAP,” Feeding South Dakota CEO Lori Dykstra said. “For every one meal we provide, SNAP provides nine.”
Because this was the first time funding lapsed in the SNAP program’s 60-year history, it likely will take states days, weeks or even months to reprogram their systems and work with contractors to enable payments, USDA official Patrick Penn has said…