LANSING, MI (WKZO AM/FM) – The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services says approximately 350,000 Michigan families will continue to have access to additional food assistance benefits during December as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Michigan previously approved the additional food assistance beginning in March, and now that is being extended for the month of December with approval from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service.
Eligible clients will see additional food assistance benefits on their Bridge Card by December 30, with payments beginning for some households December 21. Additional benefits will be loaded onto Bridge Cards as a separate payment from the assistance that is provided earlier in the month.
More than 1.2 million people in Michigan receive federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits through the state’s Food Assistance Program
This change only applies to customers not currently receiving the maximum benefit amount. The 350,000 households that receive increased benefits represent more than 50 percent of the more than 680,000 Michigan households that received food assistance in September. The remaining households already receive the maximum benefit.
The federal government is providing additional funding to states for food assistance under the Families First Coronavirus Relief Act.
