MOORHEAD – U.S. Department of Agriculture officials say the federal government shutdown may begin to affect the state’s SNAP and MFIP benefits.
“Due to the ongoing federal government shutdown, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has informed the State of Minnesota that there may not be enough federal funds to issue November SNAP (food) benefits if the shutdown continues,” Clay County officials posted to social media. “The state has directed counties to pause approvals and issuance of November SNAP and MFIP (cash + food) benefits until further notice.”
Beneficiaries are instructed to continue using October’s benefits as usual.
The county says contact information should be kept up-to-date with Clay County Social Services and that applications are being accepted and process, but approvals ‘will be temporarily blocked’ by the state’s system until funding resumes.
Emergency assistance is available at the Dorothy Day Food Pantry, A Place For Hope Recovery and Wellness Center or the REACH Food Shelf in Clay County. You can also call 2-1-1 anytime day or night.
