Food stamp recipients are scheduled to receive February disbursements before the end of this month and will have to budget their allotment as the federal program is not currently funded because of the partial government shutdown.

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits for February will be disbursed between Jan. 16 and 20, according to information from Hardin County Job and Family Services. This means that you may have two months’ worth of food dollars on your account this month. The United States Department of Agriculture, the federal agency which oversees SNAP benefits, is closed as part of the partial federal government shutdown.

There will be no additional SNAP benefits during the month of February.  The early food dollars are meant to help with next month’s food.  We encourage our SNAP-participating customers to plan their purchases carefully so that they have money available to meet their food needs.