'November benefits are still in limbo,' NJ SNAP recepients face uncertainty over status of food-purchasing assistance program
About 800,000 people in the Garden State have not received their SNAP benefits this month amidst the ongoing government shutdown.
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New Jersey recepients of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, benefits, are facing uncertainty over the status of the food-purchasing assistance program.
About 800,000 people in the Garden State have not received their SNAP benefits this month amidst the ongoing government shutdown.
"Knowing that it was going to be taken away and put on pause without an actual timeline, it was definitely a shocker and confusing," said Erika Thomas, a SNAP recipient.
The United States Department of Agriculture announced last month that it can’t legally fund SNAP benefits during a government shutdown.
Since then, 25 states, including New Jersey, have sued the Trump administration over this directive, and there’s a legal battle playing out in the courts.
"There's always been a negative connotation around receiving SNAP benefits. At the end of the day, it's feeding children," Thomas said.
Thomas works, but she still qualifies for SNAP. She said, normally, her monthly SNAP stipend would kick in on Monday.
This month, things are different.
"When I checked it yesterday, it still said that November benefits are still in limbo for the deposits," the mother of two said on Sunday. "Since they're not going to come tomorrow, [I'm] doing Lyft, doing extra work on the side so that I can go ahead and provide that weekly supplement as if nothing changed because at the end of the day, I have family to support."
Thomas said SNAP doesn't cover her entire food budget, either, especially with one daughter who has type-1 diabetes.
"Just making sure that she gets the right resources or a better option of food so it doesn't affect her numbers and her diet and things like that," she said.
Despite her own situation, Thomas told News 12 she's been using her social media to do small food giveaways for families who are in more need than she is during this time.
"Even if I could do my own drive just to help someone would make my heart happy for sure," she said.
