During the COVID-19 pandemic, Minnesota received a waiver from the federal government to temporarily provide extra Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits known as Emergency SNAP, or E-SNAP.
The temporary increase boosted households’ monthly benefit to the maximum allotment for their household size – or, if they were already getting the maximum amount, households received an additional $95 each month.
Federal officials have declared the COVID Emergency SNAP allotments will end after February. Because Emergency SNAP is issued the month after SNAP is approved, most households will get their last Emergency SNAP payment in March and benefits will return to the standard amount in April.
Need extra help?
We understand that this is a hard time for many Minnesotans. The following resources are available to help provide extra food help.
Minnesota Food Helpline provides help to people looking for food shelves, farmer’s markets, market bucks and food programs. Call 1-888-711-1151 or visit www.mnfoodhelpline.org. MN Food Helpline does not have case-specific information.
MNFoodHelper.org helps people with applying and recertifying for SNAP benefits.
WIC (Women, Infants and Children) provides nutritious food to low-income pregnant, postpartum, and breastfeeding women, infants and children up to age 5. Call 1-800-942-4030 or visit health.state.mn.us/people/wic.
2-1-1 provides a variety of human services resources and information. Call 2-1-1 or visit 211unitedway.org for help with food resources, energy assistance, rent assistance, and more.