photo by: Contributed

Lawrence-Douglas County Public Health is located at 200 Maine St.

While the threat of federal food benefits halting for nearly 190,000 Kansans could become a reality on Saturday, Douglas County health officials say there’s a similar program that supports women and young children that will be able to operate as usual for now.

The federal government shutdown, which began Oct. 1, could cause the funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, to dry up on Nov. 1 unless the shutdown is halted or Congress takes another action. Nearly 190,000 Kansans and 42 million Americans are part of the program.

A similar program, the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program, is also funded through the same federal agency, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and it will be able to operate as usual around Lawrence — even after Nov. 1, according to Jonathan Smith, the executive director for Lawrence-Douglas County Public Health.

The WIC program, which is for pregnant women, new mothers, infants and children up to the age of 5 who meet certain income eligibility guidelines, provides families money to purchase certain nutritious staples like fruits and vegetables, low-fat milk and infant formula, in addition to providing resources like nutrition education, breastfeeding support and referral services.

Though Smith said the program, which supports millions of families across the country, could be vulnerable if the shutdown continues, WIC is “currently in a more stable position” than the SNAP program, and those families in Douglas County will still receive all the benefits from the program.

“At this time, WIC operations in Douglas County remain fully operational and unaffected by the federal shutdown,” Smith said.

The concern over threats to federal programs like SNAP has been the main focus of Kansas officials in recent weeks, with Gov. Laura Kelly on Tuesday joining a lawsuit by other Democratic governors and state attorneys general against the U.S. Department of Agriculture regarding the lack of funding for that program.

Through September of this year, the Douglas County WIC program has served 772 families and a total of 1,426 enrolled participants including women, infants, and children, according to Smith. Year-to-date, those families have redeemed a total $841,572.51 in food benefits, which is roughly $90 per month in supplemental food support, according to Smith.

Smith said the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE), which administers the federal funds, told the health department current WIC funds are expected to last until “at least mid-November,” Smith noted that this is a “fluid and evolving situation” and future projections may change based on federal decisions.

Smith said while the core services of WIC such as nutrition counseling, breastfeeding assistance, and referrals to other community resources will continue to be provided by the health department, if federal or state allocations are exhausted, local agencies “cannot continue issuing or redeeming WIC food benefits.” That could mean families using WIC would temporarily lose access to approved foods and infant formula, which Smith said could increase “food insecurity and financial strain on families already facing limited resources.”

Smith urged families who participate in the WIC program to continue to redeem their food benefits and attend their appointments as usual, noting that LDCPH will “provide timely updates should any changes occur.”