6% of Narragansett, SK Households Face Disruption to Food Assistance Program

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 nearly 3,000 residents in Narragansett and South Kingstown, 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.

Farmers' Markets in South County do not currently accept EBT/SNAP programs, but intend to at several locations later in the year, according to Farm Fresh RI.

According to 2011 statistics, 978 Narragansett residents and 1,961 South Kingstown residents received some level of help through the federally-subsidized food program.

The shutdown had already made an impact on the program. As of Wednesday morning, 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.