Palm Beach County leaders held a press conference on Monday to share food resource information, after funding for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits lapsed over the weekend.
Roughly one in 10 county residents rely on the federal food stamps program that ended on Nov. 1, as the government's shutdown stretches into a new month.
READ MORE: SNAP benefits will restart, but will be half the normal payment and delayed
Commissioners Joel Flores, of District 3, and Maria Sachs, of District 7, as well as County Administrator Joe Abruzzo spoke at the press conference on Monday at the Palm Beach County's food bank in Lake Worth Beach.
They highlighted the "Food Finder Map" available through United Way of Palm Beach County's website and told residents to call 211 for help finding resources.
The Trump administration said on Monday that it will restart SNAP food benefits, after two court decisions urged the use of emergency funds. But it is not clear when the payments would take place or how much people would receive since the funds only cover about half of the amount needed for full payments.
Jamie Kendall, CEO of the county food bank, said even if the federal government hashes out a deal right now, SNAP recipients are still going to go without money for food. In that case, it could still be "a week or two before those funds actually will be put back on the cards," she said.
According to Kendall, the need for food among poor families is only going to increase with children off school for the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday.
" Those children will be missing that free breakfast and lunch at school," Kendall said.
"And we know that now with the added stress of the SNAP benefits for the a lot of these families," she continued, "That is gonna put a lot of stress on people's household incomes and the lack of food."
To find food assistance across South Florida, visit the Feeding South Florida website here. Use their database to search for a food program near you.
