DES MOINES, Iowa —

Hundreds of thousands of Iowans who rely on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, could face a food crisis as the federal government shutdown drags on.

Iowa Health and Human Services says about 131,000 households use SNAP benefits each month, with Electronic Benefit Transfer cards typically refilled on the first. But with funding halted during the shutdown, those payments will be delayed and are not expected to resume until the shutdown ends and the program is funded again.

At the River Place Food Pantry in Des Moines, shelves are being stocked in anticipation of growing need.

“There’s a lot of discussion of people worried about how they will meet their nutrition needs for the month,” said Eric Kool, Polk County’s director of family and youth servic

See Full Page