By Melissa Patrick Published
By Sarah Ladd
Kentucky Lantern
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear declared a state of emergency Friday, Oct. 31, and directed $5 million from the state’s budget reserve trust fund to food banks that are part of the Feeding Kentucky network.
This came on the same day a federal judge ruled that the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s decision to halt funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) during the government shutdown is illegal. SNAP benefits ran out Saturday, Nov. 1.
Beshear’s order is “to ensure Kentuckians have access to food over the next few days,” his office said. About 563,080 people in Kentucky rely on SNAP to afford groceries.
Beshear’s executive order instructs the Kentucky Division of Emergency Management to work with the Office of the State Budget Director to “identify, allocate, and transfer funds as necessary from available sources to support the food banks during the lapse of SNAP funding,” beginning with the $5 million. The Cabinet for Health and Family Services will then provide the identified funds to Feeding Kentucky.
The budget reserve trust fund, also known as the “rainy day” fund, contains $3.7 billion. SNAP benefits in Kentucky total about $110 million a month.
Feeding Kentucky has seven food banks around the commonwealth. They will use the funds to buy and distribute extra food during the state of emergency, according to the executive order.
Melissa McDonald, Feeding Kentucky’s executive director, said in a statement that food pantries are “stretched to their limits and need support now more than ever.” People who want to help them should call their local food bank and see what help is most needed, she said.
“Hunger is not partisan and knows no boundaries of geography or demographics. Ensuring thousands of hungry Kentuckians and Americans have access to food must be an all-hands-on-deck effort,” McDonald said. “We are grateful to Gov. Beshear for calling a state of emergency and directing much-needed state funds to food banks across the commonwealth to help fill the gap in SNAP funding. However, every day that goes on without a solution to the lapse in federal funding leaves too many families not knowing where their next meal will come from. Our elected officials must urgently find a way to fund SNAP sustainably.”
Beshear announced at his weekly press conference that the state is starting a food drive in response to the looming loss of federal food assistance, Kentucky Lantern reports in a separate article. The boxes will be stationed in the lobbies of major state office buildings in Frankfort and the L&N Building in Louisville until Nov. 21 to collect non-perishable food items. The donated items will go to established charities.
A federal judge in Rhode Island also ordered the Trump administration to fund SNAP. But even with the court orders, there could be delays in benefits. The USDA has not said how it will respond to the judges’ orders.
Editor’s note: On Monday, Nov. 3, the Trump administration told a federal judge that it will provide partial SNAP benefits this month, The Hill reports.
