Patricia Dillon

ATTENTION: IF YOU DO NOT FILE TAXES WITH THE IRS

While the primary focus of Connecticut families for the past several months has been on health and safety, food insecurity has also been a major concern that cannot be ignored. With many still unemployed due to the pandemic, Emergency Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits have played a major role in keeping many Connecticut households from going hungry.

Beginning next week, 250,000 unemployed workers in Connecticut will be eligible to receive another $300 a week as part of the federal disaster aid program.

To accommodate SNAP households that experienced food loss due to the power outages caused by Tropical Storm Isaias, ALL SNAP households automatically received 20% of their August benefit Wednesday, September 2, 2020. There is no action required to receive this benefit.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency approved a grant Monday that would allow unemployed workers in Connecticut to collect an additional $300 a week in federal assistance during the COVID-19 pandemic.

If you are a SNAP recipient who lost power in the storm and your food has spoiled, you can request replacement benefits. You must act before September 3rd.

The Connecticut State Department of Education and End Hunger Connecticut are partnering to offer free meals to children throughout the summer.

This year we face several crises at once - the emergence of an infectious agent, or pathogen, named COVID-19 that is new, and the exposure of another pathogen - systemic racism - that is not new. Neither is going away soon, but as is often true in public health, the worst effects are preventable with vigilance and leadership.