CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Both North Carolina and South Carolina are ending extra monetary funds provided to their food benefit programs during the COVID-19 pandemic. During the pandemic, emergency allotments were added to food and nutrition services for families who are struggling financially.
In North Carolina, families enrolled in the Food and Nutrition Services (FNS) program have been receiving at least $95 extra per month since March 2020. The average FNS benefit per person will decrease from $8.12 to $5.45, DHHS announced.
Since March 2020, an average of 900,000 North Carolina households received FNS emergency allotments, bringing approximately $150 million in federal dollars into local economies, according to an NCDHHS news release.
Pullbacks on emergency federal funds are happening across the country. South Carolina announced last week announced it will scale back on a similar program for food assistance called SNAP. According to SC DSS, more than 308,000 households representing over 620,000 people in the state are receiving SNAP benefits.
In a statement, South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster's Office said:
"By recently passing legislation that will end the emergency allotments, even Congress has acknowledged that they were always meant to be temporary. The governor made the decision that January will be the last month they're available in South Carolina after careful consideration. It's important to note that recipients will have time to plan as they continue receiving the emergency allotment for another month and that there will be no interruption to their pre-pandemic benefits."
Those enrolled in the program will continue to receive pre-pandemic level assistance.
Contact Colin Mayfield at cmayfield@wcnc.com or follow him on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.