Last month, Ohio issued food stamp benefits for February to low income Ohioans. The idea was to get needy families the assistance up front so they wouldn’t go hungry due to the federal government shutdown. But now, families are finding it hard to stretch those dollars into March. So the state is making another adjustment.
Ohioans who depend on SNAP or food stamps could be going 50 or 60 days between the February to March benefit because of the previous adjustment. So the state will send out half of the March benefits to recipients this Friday, with the rest in a second check in later next month. Then the payments for those on the program will be back on schedule in April.
Lisa Hamler Fugitt with the Ohio Association of Foodbanks says she’s grateful. One in three Ohioans live in households that are poor enough to qualify for hunger relief from foodbanks.
