New York to Issue Full November SNAP Benefits
On November 7, Governor Hochul announced New York will move forward with the issuance of full November SNAP benefits. Families can expect to receive benefits as soon as Sunday, with issuances continuing through the end of the week, an acceleration of the usual 10-day issuance schedule. We applaud Governor Hochul, Attorney General Letitia James, program administrators at NYSOTDA, and other state leaders for their work to ensure food assistance reaches the nearly three million New Yorkers who rely on SNAP. We are also deeply grateful to emergency food providers, schools, philanthropic partners, and others who have stepped up to feed our neighbors.
This harmful disruption to SNAP benefits did not need to happen. As we and others have repeated for weeks, USDA has had the resources and authority to issue benefits without delay. By refusing to do so, USDA caused unnecessary food hardship and uncertainty for 42 million Americans.
This crisis shone a light on the critical importance of SNAP for families and communities. All the while, unprecedented cuts to SNAP included in H.R.1 have begun to roll out, jeopardizing SNAP access for hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers in the coming months and years. Hunger Solutions New York will continue to advocate for the repeal of harm
WIC, School Meals, Summer Nutrition Programs & CACFP
WIC remains open and operational. WIC-approved stores are expected to continue to accept WIC benefits, and WIC offices are expected to remain open for business as usual. Updates will be available on the NYS Department of Health WIC website. See NYS Department of Health’s FAQ for more details.
New York’s universal school meals program remains unaffected by the shutdown and will continue to provide breakfast and lunch to all students at no cost. NYSED has issued guidance for schools with recommended actions for supporting food security among students and families, including providing referrals to emergency food resources.
Summer EBT and the Child and Adult Care Food Program are operating as normal at this time.
Local Food Resources
The following resources can help families find local emergency food providers:
- Find Your Regional Food Bank: Locate the regional food bank and Emergency Food Relief Organizations in your area.
- The Food Pantries Food Connect Map: Find local food pantries, community meals, mobile food resources, and more.
- To find food resources by phone:
- Call the USDA National Hunger Hotline at 1-866-3-HUNGRY or 1-877-8-HAMBRE (Spanish);
- Call 211 for New York State residents, or 311 if you live in New York City; or
- Text 914-342-7744 and type in the word “food.”
