Date:	Oct. 30, 2025
Contact:	Tina Elam, Communications Manager
Phone:	651-430-6004 (office), 651-592-5989 (after hours)
E-mail:	Tina.Elam@WashingtonCountyMN.gov

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
The following actions were taken at the Oct. 30, 2025, special meeting of the Washington County Board of Commissioners at the Government Center in Stillwater, Minnesota.
County Board approves one-time funding for area food shelves
The Washington County Board of Commissioners approved $250,000 in one-time funding Oct. 30 for 10 area food shelves serving Washington County communities in response to the anticipated disruption of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits this November. 
The ongoing federal government shutdown has created immediate challenges for families who rely on nutrition programs. With the U.S. Department of Agriculture announcing that SNAP benefits will not be distributed for November, over 5,000 Washington County households that rely on SNAP benefits every month are now at-risk for increased food insecurity. 
The County Board held a special meeting to discuss providing county financial assistance to area food shelves to ensure children and adults continue to have access to healthy food if SNAP benefits are not issued beginning Nov. 4. 
With the County Board’s action, the county will offer $250,000 in funding directly to 10 local food shelves within Washington County. These community partners are essential to maintaining access to food for vulnerable residents, and many have already reported increased strain on their resources.
“While this is a challenging moment, it’s also our opportunity to demonstrate our county’s ability to respond quickly and compassionately,” said Washington County Board Chair Stan Karwoski.
Direct assistance to food shelves allows those organizations to use the funding for other needs beyond food, such as equipment for food distribution, food card purchases, culturally relevant food support, staff time and volunteer coordination, and transportation.
The county will offer these food shelves the following amounts in funding: 
* Open Cupboard – $75,000
* Basic Needs – $37,500
* Valley Outreach – $37,500
* Family Pathways – $37,500
* Friends in Need – $18,750
* Hugo Good Neighbors – $18,750
* St. Andrew’s Community Resource Center – $6,250
* Community Helping Hands – $6,250
* Mahtomedi Area Food Shelf – $6,250
* Scandia Marine Food Shelf (Elim Lutheran Church) – $6,250
The allocations were determined based on organization size, volume of traffic, communities nearby, and proximity to households of SNAP recipients. 
In Minnesota, county governments act as the administrative agent of the state and federal government to process SNAP applications and determine eligibility. SNAP benefits provide roughly $1.6 million in monthly food assistance to 10,400 eligible individuals from Washington County. 
Washington County staff are continuing to process and determine eligibility for new and existing SNAP recipients to ensure benefits will be available as soon as the federal government begins issuing the funds again. 
Government Center | 14949 62nd Street North | P.O. Box 6 | Stillwater, MN 55082-0006
P: 651-430-6001 | F: 651-430-6017 | TTY: 651-430-6246
WashingtonCountyMN.gov
Washington County is an equal opportunity organization and employer