Anxiety turned to relief Monday for Celina Amaro as word came that the Trump administration would partially fund a restart of SNAP food benefits.
“It’s a silver lining," said Amaro of Rochester. "Listen, I’ll take it."
The back-and-forth over what will happen with the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program has left about 104,000 residents of Monroe County — and 3 million New Yorkers — uncertain how they will eat.
Amaro is among them. She takes care of her 18-year-old son who has cerebral palsy and said the threat of losing those funds has put a strain on her family.
“It definitely makes things harder, for sure,” she said. “Luckily, I have a deep freezer, and I shop for deals. So literally, I stocked up on meat when I got it on sale, and, you know, I made sure to stock up on canned goods and have rice on deck and things like that.”
The announcement that part of the allotted benefits for the month will be distributed to households is a relief, she said. For her, one month’s SNAP benefits amount to about $300 for her and her son Jaden.
In Amaro’s case, community also has shown up to support them — including her older sons, who are in their 20s.
“My neighbors are very neighborly ... and they're like, ‘What can we do to help you?’” she said. “They come and bring me and Jaden bags of groceries, just to help out right now. ... My older boys, they gave me money to go to supermarket and buy stuff.”
It’s unclear when people will see those benefits on their Electronic Benefit Transfer cards or how much they will receive, especially as the process of distribution from federal to state governments to vendors can take up to two weeks in some states, according to reporting by The Associated Press.
Even with the lapse in SNAP distribution, EBT cards will continue to work, and funds on those cards can still be used to buy food, according to the state Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance.
"It is important that all SNAP households continue to complete all SNAP requirements including re-certifications, returning periodic reports, and reporting changes, even during the federal government shutdown,” state officials advised in a memo issued Friday.
“Applications for SNAP will continue to be accepted,” the statement continued. “However, households approved for SNAP after Nov. 1 will not receive benefits until the federal government shutdown ends or other federal funding is provided.”
