COLMAR — A Montgomery County nonprofit foundation has opened applications for “rapid response” funding for organizations amid the ongoing federal government shutdown.

As the stalemate approaches the one-month mark, HealthSpark Foundation President and CEO Emma Hertz expressed serious concern over the financial impacts area residents could face as U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program lapses, with a post on the government website indicating “there will be no benefits issued Nov. 1” as the shutdown drags on.

“This is a terrible self-imposed situation that we’re sitting in right now,” Hertz said in an interview Wednesday. “It’s clearly a choice not to use emergency funding available to fully fund the SNAP program as we’re heading into day 29 of the feder

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