Food assistance will be arriving soon, but it has to last until March

The federal government shutdown, now on its 26th day, is affecting the most vulnerable.

Low-income families on SNAP, or monthly food assistance, will receive their benefits earlier than usual, but will have to budget carefully.

Families usually receive their benefits within the first three weeks of the month. But the USDA will issue February benefits in the next few days to prevent any lapse in funding during the shutdown.

Babs Roberts of DSHS, the state agency that administers SNAP, said this is their February benefit; it’s not an extra payment or a bonus.

“This is all they will have in February and they’ll really need to stretch those dollars through the end of February,” she said.

In Washington state, more than 900,000 people, many of them children, are on food assistance. The benefits are calculated based on a number of factors, including household size and income.

“These are folks that are typically living with very few resources, and stretching benefits for a long period of time can often be difficult,” Roberts said.

As a result, Roberts expects food banks and local charities to see an uptick in people coming to their doors in mid-February. And those community organizations might need some extra help in the coming months.