Baesler says school meal access remains unchanged despite possible snap halt

A federal government shutdown that began on October 1 has raised concerns about the continuation of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, also known as food stamps, which may be halted starting Saturday. SNAP provides monthly grocery assistance to low-income families through electronic debit cards.

The North Dakota Department of Public Instruction has received many inquiries about whether a pause in SNAP funds would impact students’ access to free and reduced-price school meals. Superintendent Kirsten Baesler clarified that this will not be the case: "Students who qualify for free or reduced-price meals will get them for the remainder of the school year," Baesler said.

This concern emerged because families eligible for SNAP automatically qualify for free or reduced-price school meals. While the Department of Public Instruction manages these meal programs, SNAP is overseen by North Dakota’s Department of Health and Human Services. More information about SNAP can be found at https://www.hhs.nd.gov/applyforhelp/snap.

The Department of Public Instruction also runs three additional food programs funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture:

- The Emergency Food Assistance Program, which operates through local food pantries and soup kitchens, requires participants to fill out a form declaring their income without needing documentation. A list of participating food pantries is available at https://greatplainsfoodbank.org/get-help/partner-food-pantries/.

- The Commodity Supplemental Food Program serves low-income households with members aged 60 or older. Applications are available at https://tinyurl.com/2ubdf85y.

- The Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations offers USDA foods to eligible households on reservations and nearby areas as an alternative to SNAP; participation in both programs in the same month is not allowed.

Melissa Anderson, assistant director of child nutrition and food distribution for the Department of Public Instruction, noted that these programs could face increased demand if SNAP funds stop: "The programs can be indirectly affected by the SNAP money stoppage because it will put more pressure on their food supplies." She added that neither The Emergency Food Assistance nor Commodity Supplemental Food programs have funding to cover shipping costs.

During the most recent state budget year ending June 30, an average of 48,700 North Dakotans used SNAP each month. The NDDPI estimates over 40 percent were children. In May alone, more than 57,000 residents received nearly $10 million in benefits according to USDA data (https://tinyurl.com/2xw7a52t).

On a national level during fiscal year 2025, more than 42.6 million people participated in SNAP with an average benefit per person per month being $230.34.