REGION 5 ESF-5 / EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT DIRECTORS
The Department of Social Services (DSS) has received notice from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food and Nutrition Services that if the federal government shutdown continues into November, there will not be enough funds to pay November Supplemental Nutrition Assistance (SNAP) benefits.
For more information about SNAP and the shutdown, DSS has put together a Frequently Asked Question page.
If anyone needs immediate food assistance, visit
www.211ct.org or
www.ctfoodshare.org. This is the most efficient way to ensure individuals are being connected to community-level, long-term support.
Foodshare is asking that those impacted not go directly to the Foodshare distribution site. They should go to their local pantries or text FOODHSARE to 85511 to find the local pantry. They will then be prompted to enter the first 3 letters of the town they want to go to, and dates/times and locations of their local mobile pantry will appear. They can also go to
www.ctfoodshare.org/find-food to view a map and list of mobile food pantries near them.
If anyone needs to check their EBT balance, call 1-888-328-2666 or use
MyDSS.ct.gov. Folks should continue to apply, renew, and report changes - DSS will continue to be available to do this work
DSS will continue to add information on its site as the federal guidance changes or program operations are affected.
