The City of San Antonio has a plan for distributing $150 H-E-B gift cards to residents who are missing Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits because of the government shutdown.
City officials say their focus is to help low-income seniors and households with young children.
The city’s Department of Human Services and Metro Health are distributing the gift cards to families in several city programs and at WIC appointments.
According to a press release, a phased distribution begins Wednesday, Nov. 5, with the initial focus on Senior Center Project HOPE, NXT Level participants, Early Head Start and Head Start families, who have already been screened and verified.
Metro Health will use scheduled WIC program appointments for gift card distribution, starting with 300 appointments this week, 700 appointments the week of Nov. 10 and 1,000 appointments the week of Nov. 17.
WIC stands for Women, Infants and Children. It’s a special SNAP program for pregnant women, women with young children and children under 5 years old.
“The city expects to reach roughly 10,000 eligible residents during the initial phase, representing about 26% of the total population served through DHS and Metro Health programs,” read the city’s press release.
A group of San Antonio foundations and businesses coordinated with Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones to raise $1.6 million to help bridge the gap in SNAP benefits gap this month.
Jones said that money would not cover San Antonio’s entire SNAP need at a press conference on Oct. 31. She said SNAP benefits delivered to San Antonio residents totaled $50 million each month.
SNAP benefits for low-income families lapsed in November due to the government shutdown. A federal judge ordered the government to resume paying some SNAP benefits on Monday using emergency funds.
President Donald Trump said that SNAP benefits would be withheld until the shutdown resolved, but other White House officials said that was not the case.
City officials plan to distribute the $1.6 million that has been raised, regardless of what takes place in the nation’s gridlocked capital.
“Additional distributions will continue as funding and card inventory allow, ensuring all resources are fully utilized, even if federal SNAP benefits resume during this period,” read the press release.
The San Antonio Area Foundation is managing donations and people can contribute online.
