Passaic County provides hot meals to SNAP participants
A little over 250 residents pre-registered to receive baked chicken, steak, peas, carrots, a side salad, dessert and more.
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The United States is officially experiencing the longest government shutdown in our nation's history.
For residents relying on SNAP benefits, this has been a particularly tough time, as November assistance has been delayed.
A federal judge ordered the Trump administration to fully fund the program this month, which was shared during a Thursday government hearing on SNAP.
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Over in Totowa, the Passaic County Board of County Commissioners, the county administrator and the Department of Senior Services welcomed enrollees to a hot dinner distribution with proof of their EBT/SNAP card. A little over 250 residents pre-registered to receive baked chicken, steak, peas, carrots, a side salad, dessert and more.
"A lot of the SNAP benefit families have children. A lot of the children rely on school meals, and because the schools are out today and tomorrow due to the break, we're afraid that this might be the only opportunity that some of these kids get a nice, hot meal," says deputy county administrator Timothy Roetman.
Attendees walked out with a bag of groceries.
Looking at the bigger picture, around 55,000 enrollees are believed to be on SNAP in Passaic County, with a little over 525,000 people total in the county, according to the Passaic County Health and Human Services.
