Food benefits frozen for 20,000-plus families, primarily children, in Minnesota amid shutdown

The federal government shutdown has frozen money for another food assistance program in Minnesota, and the majority of people impacted are children.

Federal money for November food benefits under the Minnesota Family Investment Program (MFIP) has been halted as the shutdown continues.

Unlike the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), whose federal funding has also been frozen, MFIP was specifically designed for young families and pregnant women. It’s also temporary, and there’s more than grocery money bundled into it. There’s also a cash benefit to help families cover diapers, medications, school supplies, and more.

However, at least half of that money is designated for groceries, and that part of MFIP is frozen.

Tabitha Pannell is a single mother of two girls. While pregnant, Pannell said she found out her eldest child, now 3 years old, had congenital heart defects and required surgery starting at birth. That’s when she applied and was approved for MFIP.

“I knew that would be challenging, and at the time, I didn’t have a good enough job to sustain providing,” Pannell said.

“And with medical complexities, that’s kind of a scary road as a new parent alone.”

Now, the $650 a month the family of three counts on for groceries won’t be coming in.

“I know I’m not going to be able to make up that particular amount,” she said.

“If these parents, like myself, we don’t have a fallback plan, that gets really tricky.”

More than 23,000 Minnesota families use MFIP each month on average, according to information provided by the Minnesota Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF).

“Families are incredibly worried and concerned about how they will put food on the table. They’re worried about the long-term impacts that it might have on their children’s health,” DCYF Commissioner Tikki Brown said.

About $20 million in federal funds goes to these families, mostly young kids, every month, Brown said, adding that a large chunk of that, the grocery money, isn’t coming for November.

Earlier this week, the state committed an additional $4 million to food banks in anticipation of MFIP and SNAP benefits running out.

“A lot of food pantries and food shelves, they’re an option, but they’re going to be overwhelmed,” Pannell said.

$4 million seems like a drop in the bucket, even when it comes to MFIP, which is a much smaller program than SNAP, and Brown agreed.

“Correct,” Brown said. “Right, if this goes into December, I’m incredibly concerned about what Minnesotans will be facing.”

“That’s kind of what I’m bracing myself for,” Pannell said, asked about her family’s situation if the shutdown continues beyond November.

“You know, politics aside, there’s kids that are not being fed, and if that doesn’t infuriate anyone, than that speaks to a larger issue.”

State officials are looking, but have not come up with any additional places to pull money from, Brown said.

“It’s been incredibly discouraging to know that, despite our very best efforts, unless Congress acts, our hands are truly tied,” she said.