Food banks, meal kitchens brace for impact as SNAP food benefits set to stop
Food banks concerned about food running out due to SNAP ending
Food banks are concerned about food shortages as SNAP benefits are set to end on Nov. 1. FOX 9's Mike Manzoni has more.
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - Unless the government shutdown ends, more than 400,000 Minnesotans will lose their food benefits on Saturday, a threat that has driven more people to food banks and meal kitchens throughout the metro.
READ MORE: SNAP benefits ending: What Minnesotans need to know
Twin Cities food banks, meal kitchens see uptick in demand
What they're saying:
"We really are worried about what this will mean for so many folks in Minnesota," said Sophia Larenz-Coy, executive director of The Food Group in New Hope. "SNAP benefits for November are worth $70 million dollars in Minnesota. I do not anticipate that in one month we will all collectively be able to raise $70 million worth of food support."
Catholic Charities Twin Cities, which now serves more than 1,000 meals each day, about a few hundred or so more than usual, has also seen a surge in demand at its downtown St. Paul kitchen.
"We’ve actually seen the increase in demand start," said Keith Kozerski, the organization’s chief program officer. "If need keeps going up the way it is, we may have to start capping the number of people that we can serve in a day for the first time a long time."
Federal judge to rule on SNAP benefits lawsuit
What we know:
A federal judge in Massachusetts on Thursday expressed skepticism over the Trump administration’s explanation for not using reserve funds to continue to pay for food benefits when funding lapses.
Twenty-five states, including Minnesota, sued the administration over the reserve funds. The judge indicated that she would rule later Thursday on whether to force the administration to use its reserve funds.