North Dakota Provides $1.5 Million for Food, Federal Aid Programs

Interim Health and Human Services Commissioner Pat Traynor, right. Gov. Kelly Armstrong, left.  (Mary Steurer/North Dakota Monitor)

(North Dakota Monitor) – North Dakota is using $1.5 million in Department of Health and Human Services general fund money to address food insecurity across the state exacerbated by the federal government shutdown.

The agency has granted $915,000 to the Great Plains Food Bank, which Gov. Kelly Armstrong said has gone to purchase more than 450,000 pounds of food that will start being distributed to an estimated 24,000 households.

The assistance comes as the government shutdown is expected to interrupt November benefits to those enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also known as SNAP. About 57,000 North Dakotans received almost $10 million from SNAP in September.

Armstrong said the grant cannot make up for this funding, but is as much as the state can offer right now.