Minnesota food shelves see spike in visits amid SNAP uncertainties during government shutdown

MINNEAPOLIS — The ongoing uncertainty surrounding SNAP benefits during the federal government shutdown has motivated many Minnesota families to seek food assistance at local food shelves.
Michelle Ness is the executive director at PRISM, which operates a food shelf in Golden Valley.
“We have seen a significant increase in the number of people coming through our door,” Ness said.

Over the last few months, Ness says their food shelf has averaged around 90 families per day, with around 18 new families registering for their services. On Thursday, Ness says their food shelf served 180 families, 57 of whom were visiting for the first time.
“A lot of people are telling us that they’re worried about SNAP. I think there’s a lot of confusion. There’s a lot of sadness and people are trying to figure out what is happening,” Ness said.
Monday morning, 23 attorneys general, including Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, announced the filing of a temporary restraining order against the USDA, which sent a memo over the weekend to states to stop SNAP payments and to get back the money they already sent out.

“We will be standing right next to our 42 million Americans, standing up for what’s right, which is to feed the hungry,” Ellison says.

Monday afternoon, a judge agreed with the attorneys general and issued a stay on the USDA’s directive for states to get back the SNAP payments they sent out.
However, this ruling is only a temporary stay until the Supreme Court issues a decision on whether states should be allowed to send full SNAP benefits during the government shutdown.
There is movement in Washington that could end the shutdown soon, but until there’s a solid answer regarding SNAP benefits, food shelf organizers are working to fill the gap.
“There’s a lot of questions, not a lot of answers. This really feels a lot like the pandemic of what is going to happen next, what do we need to do,” Ness says.