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SNAP Update: 

New SNAP Response Hub & Store Flyers

 

As announced by FNS, SNAP benefits will not be available beginning at midnight on November 1st due to the federal government shutdown. How long benefits will not be available is unknown at this time. 
While RAM is anticipating confusion and frustration as consumers worry about how to access food, we are working closely with Governor Healey, the MA Department of Transitional Assistance (DTA) and other stakeholders to communicate expectations to SNAP recipients and retailers.  The Healey Administration’s new SNAP Response Hub webpage is now live, featuring a municipal-level map showing the impact of SNAP across Massachusetts, information on where residents can access food assistance, and ways community members and businesses can contribute.

Important benefits guidelines to be aware of include:

  • While November benefits will be suspended beginning at midnight on November 1, 2025, recipients with October benefits remaining WILL be able to utilize their remaining October benefits.
  • WIC benefits will still be available and are not currently impacted. State funded programs like Transitional Aid to Families with Dependent Children (TAFDC), Emergency Aid to the Elderly, Disabled and Children (EAEDC), and the Healthy Incentives Program (HIP) will continue normally. Residents can still access WIC and school meals.

 

These scenarios are likely to create situations in which some recipients will potentially see or hear of others being able to access benefits, not recognizing the difference in circumstances. To assist retailers in managing the confusion and frustration, the DTA has resources available, including:

  • A flyer that can be used in retail locations or anywhere helpful to inform families of the upcoming federal SNAP benefit suspension. The flyer is available in English, Chinese Simplified, Haitian Creole, Portuguese, Spanish, and Vietnamese that you can distribute in various settings.  The flyers are available online here.  
    • Links to additional info such as FAQs and food resource information from Project Bread.

RAM members are encouraged to download, print, and utilize these flyers at entrances, points-of-sale, and as handouts.

 

Thanks to existing partnerships, RAM staff has been able to coordinate with various law enforcement agencies around the state regarding increasing the attention being paid to grocery stores, convenience stores, and pharmacies throughout this difficult period. As has been widely reported in the media, information has been circulated on publicly available social media applications advocating for large scale looting activity nationwide starting November 1st due to the lapse in federal food aid benefits.  This information is unsubstantiated and no specific location information is available; however, large retail stores have been mentioned as potential targets on social media.  Members should be aware of this elevated threat risk and take the necessary steps to safeguard against potential store disruptions.

 

RAM also remains engaged on these issues through participation on Governor Healey’s Anti-Hunger Task Force, with RAM Senior Vice President Bill Rennie serving on the Task Force on behalf of retailers.