MONTGOMERY – Alabama is “stepping up to help,” Gov. Kay Ivey said today after releasing $2 million of the state’s emergency funds to go toward eight food banks, serving all of Alabama’s 67 counties.
But, she said, “this is not sustainable by any means.”
The Food Bank of North Alabama is among the food banks included in the governor’s $2 million assistance. The others are Community Food Bank of Central Alabama, Food Bank of East Alabama, Feeding the Gulf Coast, Heart of Alabama Food Bank, Selma Area Food Bank, West Alabama Food Bank and the Wiregrass Area Food Bank.
Ivey’s action comes on the fourth day of the month, which is the first day some of the state’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients will miss an issuance of those benefits to their Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) cards.
In Alabama, SNAP benefits are issued to recipients’ EBT cards on a specific day from the fourth of the month to the 23rd.
Throughout the shutdown, the Alabama Department of Human Resources is also assisting by redirecting an additional $3 million to the Feeding Alabama food banks network, which touches all 67 counties, for a total of $9 million for FY26, Ivey’s office said in a news release.
According to Ivey’s office, there are 11,434 children in the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program, and DHR is sending an additional $300 for each of those children to their caregivers. These additional funds should help these families offset some of their monthly costs due to the lack of SNAP funding. As DHR has noted, SNAP benefits are 100% federally funded.
“There are real Alabama families who rely on SNAP to put food on their tables, and that includes more than 300,000 children, more than 102,000 seniors and those who are disabled. That is why I am directing $2 million in emergency funding to go toward food banks serving the people of our state,” said Ivey. “We are now in the longest federal government shutdown in history, and it is absolutely ridiculous that families all across our country are suffering – whether that is the school children who rely on SNAP, the air traffic controller not receiving a paycheck or even our military and high number of federal government worker families in Alabama.
“Hear me loud and clear when I say Alabama cannot be both the state and federal government. And like states all across the country, Alabama is stepping up to help, but this is not sustainable by any means.”
In the meantime, U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins announced SNAP guidance has been sent to states to help partially fund the program while the federal government remains shut down.
The team at Alabama DHR is closely reviewing those details today to act as quickly as possible, the governor’s office said.
Some state lawmakers have inquired about a special session to tap into Rainy Day funds. The governor has said she has no plans to call a special session. According to the law, in order to use Rainy Day funds, the state would need to be in proration which is not the case.
“There is only one true solution and that is for Congress to do their one job and reopen the federal government now,” Ivey said.
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