928 Portsmouth Residents Could Lose Food Benefits With Shutdown

Written by Joseph Hutnak and Sandy McGee 

While lots of attention is being paid to the closure of national parks because of the federal government shutdown, another program faces less immediate — though, arguably, more critical — trouble if a resolution isn't found soon.

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program [SNAP], which provides support for approximately 928 individuals in Portsmouth, could be curtailed if the shutdown lasts more than three weeks, Frederick Sneesby, spokesman for the state Department of Human Services said this week.

Potential cuts to the program could also hurt programs like the East Bay Food Pantry's Healthy Cooking with Pantry Foods classes, which help SNAP recipients make healthy, low-cost meals.

SNAP offers help for families with household incomes up to 185 percent of the federal poverty level, or about $3,012 per month for a family of three. 

The program's funds can be used at supermarkets and participating farmers markets in the Farm Fresh RI collaborative within certain guidelines.

The farmers market at Sandywoods in Tiverton currently accept Fresh Bucks, coins that can be purchased with SNAP funds. The Aquidneck Island Growers Market does not accept Fresh Bucks. 

According to 2011 statistics, 928 Portsmouth residents received some level of help through the federally-subsidized food program.

The shutdown had already made an impact on the program by Oct. 2 — the web page for the USDA, which administers the program, had a message that read: "Due to the lapse in federal government funding, this website is not available."

Congressional officials hinted that the shutdown may last for weeks if House Republicans continue to insist on including anti-Affordable Care Act language in a government funding bill — which Democratic lawmakers have repeatedly rejected — according to the Huffington Post.