Amid the government shutdown and uncertainty over SNAP benefits for November, Gov. Andy Beshear has issued an executive order declaring a state of emergency and pledging state funds to support Kentucky food banks.
Stemming from a lawsuit Beshear joined with other states, a federal judge in Massachusetts ruled Friday that the U.S. Department of Agriculture can use contingency funds to at least partially fund this month’s SNAP benefits and the federal government can transfer other money to fully fund SNAP payments.
In a social media video, Beshear said despite the ruling, there will be delays in SNAP recipients getting their benefits, leaving some families struggling to eat.
"As governor, I can’t let that happen," Beshear said. "A person starving, to me, isn’t a Democrat or Republican. They’re a child of God.”
Beshear is committing $5 million from the state’s budget reserves to the Kentucky Division of Emergency Management which will distribute the funds to Feeding Kentucky, a network of seven food banks that provide groceries to those in need across all 120 counties.
“We’re thankful for the support to better serve our neighbors caught in uncertainty and fear," said Charles Dennis, executive director of Feeding America Kentucky's Heartland (FAKH) based in Elizabethtown. "The number of Kentuckians unsure how they will get their next meal is even more massive now."
FAKH serves 42 counties in central, south central and western Kentucky. Over the weekend, the nonprofit started working on an allocation plan for more than 200 agency partners that work with FAKH to distribute food donations.
Food pantries are preparing for increased demand as nearly 600,000 Kentuckians wait on this month's SNAP payments.
In addition to the SNAP funding, Beshear is directing more than $12 million in state dollars to support the federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program during the month of November.
