TOPEKA — After days of uncertainty about whether the federal government would release funding for food assistance, the Department for Children and Families announced Friday that it issued November benefits.

Kansans should have full access to their Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits by the end of the day Friday, the state agency said on its website.

“All current Kansas beneficiaries will receive benefits on Nov. 7 instead of the typical monthly issuances that are staggered over a 10-day period according to last name,” the site said.

In a news release, Kansas Appleseed, which advocates to fight food insecurity, said “SNAP is one of the most effective tools we have to prevent hunger and strengthen local economies.”

“Every $1 spent through SNAP generates $1.50 into Kansas grocery stores, farmers markets, and small businesses, helping communities thrive while ensuring that families have access to healthy, affordable food,” the statement said.

The total November benefit distribution is more than $31.6 million to approximately 86,000 Kansas households, the DCF website said.

“This is great news for the thousands of Kansans who rely on this assistance to help put nutritious food on their tables,” said DCF Secretary Laura Howard in a news release. “I’m incredibly proud of how quickly the DCF team has been able to process multiple changes to the November benefits amount, work with our benefits processing partners to make adjustments and ultimately get this critical assistance out to Kansans as quickly as possible.”

On Oct. 28, Gov. Laura Kelly joined a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Agriculture for unlawfully suspending the SNAP program. The issuance of full November benefits comes after a federal judge on Thursday ordered USDA to full fund SNAP for November.

With the ongoing federal government shutdown, December SNAP benefits remain uncertain.

Also on Friday, the Supreme Court granted the Trump administration’s emergency appeal to temporarily block a court order to fully fund SNAP food aid payments amid the government shutdown, even though residents in some states already have received the funds.

A judge had given the Republican administration until Friday to make the payments through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. But the administration asked an appeals court to suspend any court orders requiring it to spend more money than is available in a contingency fund, and instead allow it to continue with planned partial SNAP payments for the month.

After a Boston appeals court declined to immediately intervene, Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson issued an order late Friday pausing the requirement to distribute full SNAP payments until the appeals court rules on whether to issue a more lasting pause. Jackson handles emergency matters from Massachusetts.

Her order will remain in place until 48 hours after the appeals court rules, giving the administration time to return to the Supreme Court if the appeals court refuses to step in.

The food program serves about 1 in 8 Americans, mostly with lower incomes.

Officials in more than a half-dozen states confirmed that some SNAP recipients already were issued full November payments on Friday. But Jackson’s order could prevent other states from initiating the payments.

• The Associated Press contributed to this report.