"SNAP helps low-income families buy food, and losing those benefits would be a major blow for many in Massachusetts. "President Trump has chosen to take away food from people all around this country," Gov. Maura Healey said Friday at a press conference at Nubian Markets in Roxbury, according to the Boston Globe. "That's going to mean that 1 million people in Massachusetts are not going to have their food benefits starting next week.""
"Massachusetts residents receive about $240 million in SNAP benefits every month, according to Healey. Among those recipients, 32 percent are children, 31 percent are people with disabilities, and 26 percent are seniors - vulnerable groups that would be especially impacted if benefits stop. The government shutdown comes on top of other challenges facing the SNAP program."
More than a million people in Massachusetts could lose access to federal food assistance beginning Nov. 1 if the government shutdown continues. The U.S. Department of Agriculture will stop processing SNAP benefits for November, halting monthly payments that help low-income families buy food. Massachusetts residents receive about $240 million in SNAP benefits each month; 32 percent of recipients are children, 31 percent are people with disabilities, and 26 percent are seniors. A pause in SNAP funding would also affect about 5,500 grocery stores and farms that rely on SNAP purchases. New work requirements in a July bill could prevent up to 150,000 residents from receiving benefits next year, and local organizations and more than 600 providers offer emergency food assistance.
Read at Boston.com
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