Allen County, Ohio (WLIO) – With the government shutdown now on day 29, thousands of Allen County families could soon feel the impact. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has announced that starting Nov. 1, SNAP benefits will not be loaded onto EBT cards.
More than 6,000 households in Allen County rely on the federal program to buy groceries each month. Across the state of Ohio, nearly 1.5 million residents depend on the program. The average benefit is about $200 per person each month.
“As of Nov. 1, we were notified by the feds and Department of Agriculture that stamps would not be loaded on people's EBT cards. There’s nothing we can do here at the agency for that at this point, but we are encouraging people, if you have some remaining cards, use those very frugally in the meantime,” said Joe Patton, director of OhioMeansJobs–Allen County. “And also, we do—for the able-bodied people—we do have 1,800 openings available here at OhioMeansJobs Allen County for various employers.”
Patton said they are working with Allen County food banks and city leaders to prepare for a surge in need if the shutdown continues.
