Federal shutdown halts SNAP, threatens WIC support across Tri-State

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WOWK) — As the federal government’s shutdown stretches into another week, thousands of families across Kentucky, Ohio and West Virginia are preparing for an uncertain start to November. 

The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced Saturday on their website that Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits will not be issued on Nov. 1, leaving hundreds of thousands of families throughout the tri-state worried about food assistance. State agencies warned for weeks that a continued shutdown could disrupt funding.

Local business owner Rick Hayes runs a kettle corn stand in the parking lot of the Piggly Wiggly in Kanawha City, where he watches families and elders walk in and out of the store every day.

Hayes said he hopes lawmakers can resolve the situation soon so “everything can go back to the way it was” and families can stop worrying about whether they’ll be able to buy food.

The shutdown is also creating uncertainty for families who depend on the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC), a program that provides nutritional support for pregnant women, new mothers and young children.

Jennifer Hacks, a Kanawha County resident who works with young mothers through a local ministry, said it “breaks [her] heart” to think about the mothers she works with trying to feed their children without the help they rely on each month.

According to the National WIC Association, emergency funding from the White House has kept the program stabilized through Oct. 31, but without more, many states could run out of funding as early as next month. 

In a letter signed by 44 organizations last week, the association urged the White House to approve additional funding to prevent a possible loss of funding as November begins.

“There are a lot of folks hurting because of the Schumer Shutdown. And now, vulnerable West Virginians are being held hostage by Democrats who have now voted 15 times to shut down the federal government,” Governor Patrick Morrisey’s office said in a statement. “West Virginia has been proactive throughout the shutdown, keeping national parks fully operational and expediting $1.1 million in funding for food banks. Our office is reviewing further plans to mitigate the effects of delayed SNAP benefits and ensure we can continue to deliver WIC benefits to families in need.”

For now, families throughout the Tri-State are waiting and hoping that Washington finds a solution. When the federal government will reopen is yet to be seen.