As SNAP uncertainty looms, where can Marylanders turn for food assistance?

By Tom Hall,

Published November 3, 2025 at 12:00 PM EST

Jaqueline Benitez puts away groceries at her home in Bellflower, Calif., on Monday, Feb. 13, 2023. Benitez, 21, who works as a preschool teacher, depends on California's SNAP benefits to help pay for food, and starting in March she expects a significant cut, perhaps half, of the $250 in food benefits she has received since 2020. (AP Photo/Allison Dinner) — Jaqueline Benitez puts away groceries at her home in Bellflower, Calif., on Monday, Feb. 13, 2023. Benitez, 21, who works as a preschool teacher, depends on California's SNAP benefits to help pay for food.

Tomorrow, the government shutdown reaches the distinction of being the longest shutdown in American history.

Ongoing legal cases involving federal judges in Massachusetts and Rhode Island will determine if federal food assistance, SNAP benefits, will be funded through the rest of the shutdown.

Maryland Secretary of Agriculture Kevin Atticks joins Midday to help navigate the latest news on SNAP, which helps feed 690,000 people in Maryland.

Last Thursday, Gov. Wes Moore announced that he would allocate $10 million dollars to assist Marylanders whose SNAP benefits have been halted.

The money to food banks, local nonprofits, faith-based organizations, food kitchens, farmers markets, school pantries and mobile food units statewide. Moore’s decision strays from neighboring states’ plans, like Virginia and Delaware, to directly fund SNAP benefits for the month of November, which would cost Maryland around $123 million.