Many Americans who rely on SNAP will see a reduction in their benefits in March. The emergency allotments that were put in place to help people during the COVID-19 pandemic will end after February payments are distributed.
According to the Department of Agriculture, 32 states are still providing emergency allotments.
After the February payments, families will receive their normal SNAP benefit amount, which could be hundreds of dollars less than what they were receiving because of the pandemic.
Some states, including Arizona, Florida, Mississippi, and Wyoming, have already stopped offering the extra benefits.
The Department of Agriculture is also alerting people that their SNAP benefits could also be reduced if they are also receiving Social Security benefits. This year, people on social security received the largest cost of living increase in four decades, which could cause their SNAP benefits to go down.
It's estimated that nearly half of all SNAP recipients are on social security.
People who are worried about not having enough money for groceries are encouraged to contact their state to find out about other programs that may be able to assist them in accessing food.
Other tips include rolling over unused SNAP benefits to the next month, stocking up on non-perishable foods and freezing items to make them last longer.
