It's not clear when Mainers who rely on the federal food assistance program known as SNAP will start receiving full benefits. On Friday, Gov. Janet Mills said it would happen this week, but a subsequent U.S. Supreme Court ruling allows the Trump administration to continue to withhold funds temporarily.
Amid the uncertainty, the Eastern Area Agency on Aging is setting up grab and go meal sites for SNAP recipients who are 60 and over and for those who are at least age 18 with a disability. The effort is supported by state funds.
The sites will be at different locations throughout the week in Penobscot, Piscataquis, Washington, and Hancock counties. Nutrition services director Chris Street says people can take home five meals, and the meals are offered on a first-come, first-served basis.
"For us, the grab and go is really there because there's a wide amount of older adults and adults with disabilities that we're not already in contact with or already not serving, and we don't want to leave them out of this," he says.
The effort is supported by state contingency funds. Street says the agency aims to add more sites in the following weeks. He says the goal is to provide an additional 6,000 meals to SNAP recipients throughout November, including through its Meals on Wheels program and community cafes.
