LOCALIZE IT: End to extra COVID food aid affects millions

Food Stamps (Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

EDITORS/NEWS DIRECTORS:

The U.S. government is ending the extra money for food provided to low-income people since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program has long been known as food stamps, even though the money is now loaded onto Electronic Benefits Transfer Cards, which are used like debit cards at participating stores.

Initially, all U.S. states participated in the program and provided their residents with more SNAP money. But by January, 18 states had rolled back the extra benefits, often along with the end of local emergency declarations. That reduced aid to more than 10 million Americans.

In 32 states, Washington, D.C., Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands, the extra benefits end with February payments. Starting in March, about 30 million people will see cuts in the amounts loaded to their SNAP cards. The average recipient will lose about $90 a month, though some cuts could be much larger.

Congress struck a budget deal in late December that traded the emergency SNAP allocations to fund a permanent program to replace school meals during the summer for low-income children.

___

READ AP's STORY

U.S. ending extra help with groceries that started during COVID

___

ADD LOCAL CONTEXT

— Is your state among those where benefits will end with the last payment in February? See the list of affected states and jurisdictions below.

— To learn how many people in your state get SNAP benefits and the total amount received, check the USDA data here: https://www.fns.usda.gov/pd/supplemental-nutrition-assistance-program-snap

— For information about how people qualify for SNAP and how much money they receive: https://www.fns.usda.gov/snap/recipient/eligibility

— Individual states are responsible for notifying SNAP recipients about the coming cuts. Contact your state's SNAP agency to ask about those efforts: https://www.fns.usda.gov/snap/state-directory

— To find SNAP recipients to interview about the importance of the program and concerns about the end of the emergency benefits, reach out to food banks, pantries and organizations that advocate for low-income people. Find food banks in your area here: https://www.feedingamerica.org/find-your-local-foodbank

___

STATES AND JURISDICTIONS WHERE EXTRA BENEFITS ARE ENDING

Alabama

California

Colorado

Connecticut

Delaware

District of Columbia

Guam

Hawaii

Illinois

Kansas

Louisiana

Massachusetts

Maine

Maryland

Michigan

Minnesota

New Hampshire

New Jersey

New Mexico

New York

Nevada

North Carolina

Ohio

Oklahoma

Oregon

Pennsylvania

Rhode Island

Texas

Utah

Vermont

Virginia

Virgin Islands

Washington

West Virginia

Wisconsin

___

Localize It is an occasional feature produced by The Associated Press for its customers’ use. Questions can be directed to Katie Oyan at koyan@ap.org.