SNAP News: Information, Resources, and Actions

By Dr. Kimberly Stoner, CT NOFA Director of Policy and Advocacy

Two federal judges have ordered the Trump administration to stop blocking the funding of SNAP using emergency funds. The Trump administration has agreed to partially fund SNAP benefits. It is not clear how much SNAP beneficiaries will receive or how long it will take to load the partial benefits onto their EBT (Electronic Benefit Transfer) cards. Benefits for November were supposed to be loaded on November 1, so they are already delayed. And, the emergency fund they are using will be exhausted by the end of November, so SNAP funding could be cut off again December 1. 

Immediate Actions For Now

• Support food rescue organizations, food pantries, and mutual aid in your area with donations or as a volunteer.
• Support your neighbors and your community in this difficult time.
• Support your local farmers and food markets — many donate food, and many depend on SNAP customers for their livelihood.

Key Information to Know and Share

• Statewide: To find food pantries and other free meals, dial 2-1-1 or visit www.211ct.org  211 is a free information and referral service that connects people to health and human services in their community 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. 211 serves people of all income levels, languages and cultural backgrounds.
• If you are in the New Haven area, this link will take you to a list of food pantries and other food assistance sites in New Haven, West Haven, Hamden, and Milford.
• The United Way of Coastal and Western CT has a list of resources, including a list of immediate resources in several Fairfield County towns.
• Haven’s Harvest, a food rescue organization in the New Haven region, has a donation of 150,000 pounds of food to deliver in addition to their regular sources and is in significant need of volunteers. The link to their app for volunteers is https://bit.ly/3pVSbwD
• Food Rescue US diverts food that would be wasted to people who need it in Hartford, Northwest CT, and Fairfield County.
• In the Hartford area, the Non-Profit Accountability Group (NAG) is organizing volunteers to help with mutual aid. The volunteer form is here. To find a list of free food pantries in Hartford or donate toward Hartford mutual aid, go to www.naghartford.org/mutual-aid. 
• A correction to the previous information: If you have a balance from previous months, you will still be able to use it after November 1. Carryover benefits already on EBT cards remain accessible. You can check your EBT balance by calling 1-888-328-2666 or use MyDSS.

Additional updated SNAP information is on the Frequently Asked Questions page on the Department of Social Services website.

Policy Actions

• In Connecticut, the Governor has directed $3 million in emergency funds to CT Foodshare. 
• CT Attorney General William Tong participated in one of the suits to stop the Trump Administration from blocking SNAP funds, so the judge’s ruling mentioned above to release emergency funds should apply to CT.  
• On a state policy level, legislators of both parties are urging Governor Lamont to fully fund SNAP using the emergency budget reserve (aka “rainy day fund”). Other states are doing this. The Governor’s office previously said that there were practical difficulties in moving the money to the EBT system, but Virginia, which uses the same system is apparently doing it.
• The CT General Assembly will be meeting in special session Nov. 12-13, and legislators from both parties have been advocating for using “rainy day” funds to fill in the gap in SNAP funding

What You Can Do

Contact the Governor’s office: by email or by phone at 860-566-4840 and tell him to use the emergency funds to keep SNAP money going to the people in need.

Contact your state legislators — find them here — and ask them to support emergency funding of SNAP through legislation at the special session.

SNAP will still be cut off for many people even without the shutdown. Before the shutdown, we knew a hunger crisis would be coming because of cuts to SNAP in HR1 (aka the “One Big Beautiful Bill”). State legislators are also considering setting up a state SNAP program that would fill these gaps.

 Datahaven has estimated the losses to CT communities: 

“Among the 169 towns of Connecticut, these five cities are projected to see the largest number of families losing $25 or more in monthly benefits as well as the highest total funding losses:

• Hartford (population 119,970): 6,029 families losing $25 or more per month, totaling $1.2M to $1.6M in lost benefits per month
• Bridgeport (population 148,012): 5,045 families losing $25 or more; $970k to $1.3M per month
• New Haven (population 132,893): 4,955 families losing $25 or more; $960k to $1.3M per month
• Waterbury (population 114,356): 4,659 families losing $25 or more; $900k to $1.2M per month
• New Britain (population 73,301): 2,867 families losing $25 or more; $550k to $740k per month”

The losses are not limited to cities — rural towns will be losing SNAP benefits as well. SNAP is a significant source of money for farmers and farmers markets across the state. 

A Farmer Message

“On supporting neighbors and the local food system through the SNAP shutdown:

“Local food economies are nimble, flexible, and resilient, but they are not infallible. And large parts of the economy are built on accepting EBT. Small groceries, CSAs, market farms, and coops are scaled to meet current demand. The local food system runs on tight margins. Please contribute to community funds at farms and stores that will go directly to feeding your community. Mutual aid doesn’t have to be big to be impactful – just a few $ every time you’re there shopping. We can feed our neighbors and we can support the infrastructure that keeps the local food system alive.”