Snohomish County gives $300k for food assistance amid SNAP delay

EVERETT — Snohomish County is set to provide $300,000 to support food access as uncertainty looms over funding for federal assistance programs that keep people fed.

Of that money, $200,000 will be divided evenly between 10 family resource centers — defined in state law as a single point of entry where people can obtain information and referral to other services — across the county. Another $100,000 will go toward the Snohomish County Food Bank Coalition, as food banks have seen a recent surge in demand.

The move comes after Snohomish County also received $120,000 in state funding that will go toward food banks, after federal delays to paying out to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, due to the ongoing government shutdown. SNAP — formerly known as food stamps — distributes benefits to about 42 million low-income Americans nationwide to buy food. About 77,000 people in Snohomish County are enrolled in SNAP, Snohomish County Executive Dave Somers said in a press release Thursday.

“Local government cannot come close to fully bridging the gap left by a lack of funding during the federal government’s stalemate,” Somers wrote in the release. “However, we are committed to doing what we can to meet basic needs of our residents. If you are able to donate and help your neighbors, I urge you to do so.”

https://www.heraldnet.com/news/snohomish-county-gives-300k-for-food-assistance-amid-snap-delay/