March food stamps are set to arrive early, and recipients should be checking their mailboxes for benefits on the first and second of the month, whereas SNAP traditionally arrives sometime between the first and 15th. Children and Family Services Secretary Marketa Garner Walters says the early delivery is to make up for the significant gap recipients faced due to the last government shutdown.
“We’ve had some people who have gone as long as two months, 57 days, in between when we issued them early in January (and now).
This comes as the nation awaits a decision by President Trump as to whether or not he will accept a Senate compromise on border wall funding, or reject the legislation and allow another shutdown to begin Friday. Walters says they’re keeping a close eye on the situation.
“We are anxiously waiting to see what the government will do about another shutdown. We know that the March benefits are safe, they are guaranteed.”
Walters says there’s an important reason why the benefits are being staggered over two days, and it’s to allow the most vulnerable populations access to groceries first.
“We want people to have food, and so we are issuing on the first so that our elderly and disabled clients have a day to get in the store before the rush of everybody else who will be issued on the second.”
