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MSP Launches Weekly Food Box Pickup for Unpaid Federal Workers During Shutdown

Organizers warn the stopgap cannot offset an expected SNAP pause that could strain hundreds of thousands in Minnesota.

Overview

  • Roughly 350 boxes of shelf-stable food were handed out at Minneapolis–St. Paul International Airport as the program began Wednesday.
  • Second Harvest Heartland, the Sanneh Foundation and the Metropolitan Airports Commission are partnering to run the distribution.
  • Boxes will be available once a week on Wednesdays for federal employees and will continue until paychecks resume, organizers said.
  • TSA agents at MSP reported reduced and missed paychecks, with one worker saying an early October check was 80% and later checks were missed.
  • Organizers cited an expected near-term suspension of about $72 million in monthly SNAP benefits, noting 440,000 Minnesotans rely on the program and about 180,000 children could be affected.