Buffalo Schools Helping Families Who Have Lost SNAP Assistance

The last month has been pretty rough for some Americans as the federal government shutdown extends past a month. As officials in Washington DC squabble over disagreements, everyday people from sea to shinning sea are suffering the consequences.

Chief among those suffering are some of our most vulnerable citizens as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, which most people know as SNAP or food stamps, ended as November 1st it doesn't look like it will go back to being fully funded for a while. Even though a federal judge has ordered President Trump to use contingency funds to make sure people have access to food, government officials have said they will only partially fund the program, which will still leave millions of Americans in tough spot.

The federal shut down cuts more than food stamps, as other programs like the Home Energy Assistance Program, the Women, Infants, and Children Program, and others are all impacted.

KEEP READING: How To Use Food Banks In Western New York

To help fill the gap State and local governments all over the place are stepping up where the federal government has failed people.

Here in the Empire State, leaders in Albany has pledged millions to help ensure people don't starve, but that might not be enough. To help fill the gap, non-profits all over are also helping and now local school systems are stepping up as well.

The Buffalo Public Schools have started making food available through free mobile markets that happen at various schools throughout New York State's second largest city. The mobile markets program, which is happening thanks to a partnership between the the Buffalo Schools, Buffalo Bills, Buffalo Go Green, and the Massachusetts Avenue Project, makes up to $20 available in fresh produce to people who have been directly hurt by the loss of SNAP funding.

The food is available while supplies last, so if you know someone who this can help, they can find more information here on the BPS Website.