Food benefits

Tens of thousands of Kansas City residents are faced with the consequences of the longest government shutdown in American history. People who rely on food benefits remain without the funding that helps put food on the table, while the area’s many federal workers are furloughed or continue to work without pay.

Propel makes a free app for people on food stamps. Led by Jimmy Chen, who grew up living with food insecurity in Kansas City, Propel is now giving some of its users $50 each to help offset the government's delayed SNAP payments.

Many Kansas City families are worried about their next meal. The government shutdown has left thousands of federal workers in the metro without a paycheck. At the same time, SNAP benefits have been cut back and delayed. Here’s a list of Kansas City-area pantries and kitchens who are meeting the demand.

Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly said she will hold food drives on her statewide budget listening tour, while Missouri is transferring funding to provide meals to seniors.

About 1 in 8 U.S. residents get an average of $187 a month per person in the food assistance known as SNAP. For the first time, the Trump administration stopped the payments due at the beginning of the month.

Despite the federal government shutdown, Missourians on the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children will be able to redeem their benefits during the month of November. But state officials are unsure how long these benefits will remain available.

Missouri is transferring over $10 million in funding to feed seniors and $5 million to go to food banks. Federal food benefits won't be distributed in November due to the government shutdown.

As November looms, states are trying to sort what options they can offer beneficiaries to fill the gap in food assistance. Kansas' Democratic governor is suing the USDA for refusing to fund SNAP during the shutdown, while Missouri is telling recipients to stretch their benefits.

As the federal government shutdown drags on, tens of millions of people are at risk of losing food and nutrition aid as a result. KCUR and NPR want to hear from you about the potential loss or delay of these food benefits.

Democrats and Republicans have different proposals to keep feeding hundreds of thousands of Kansans. Food banks are preparing for an influx of demand.

Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly is joining Democrats from 24 other states in suing President Donald Trump's administration over the lapsed funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, previously known as food stamps.

More than two dozen Democratic-led states, including Kansas, are suing the Agriculture Department after the Trump administration said it would not use emergency funds to pay SNAP benefits during the shutdown.