VIRGINIA, USA — Virginia is launching the Virginia Emergency Nutrition Assistance (VENA) program starting Monday.

Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced a new food assistance program designed to help Virginians.

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistant Program, or SNAP, benefits were to run out at the beginning of November because of the government shutdown.

Virginia is the first state in the nation to use state funds to deliver food assistance to SNAP customers.

Youngkin says the two programs, SNAP and VENA, are independent from each other.

VENA is a state-administered emergency relief effort that functions like a SNAP program to its recipients and retailers.

"We have stood up a parallel program that will support hungry Virginians and it's ready to go," Youngkin said in an interview with 13New

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