DETROIT (WXYZ) — Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan authorized $1.75 million in emergency funding to help food pantries stock up if SNAP benefits are suspended, the city announced on Friday.
The city said Forgotten Harvest and Gleaner’s Food Bank would each receive $770,892 and Metro Food Rescue would get $250,000.
Duggan is expected to announce next week an emergency food distribution network with more than 100 sites across Detroit, the city said.
The mayor’s office is working with city departments and other partners including the philanthropic community to find sustained funding if SNAP benefits are stopped for an extended amount of time.
"We are hopeful that Congress will act to restore SNAP funding so our government is not using food access for families in need as a weapon in political disagreements. But if they do not, the City of Detroit will continue to work to make sure food pantries are stocked and our most vulnerable residents have access to the food they need," Duggan said in a statement.
Earlier Friday, two federal judges in separate cases ruled that the Trump administration can’t end SNAP benefits during the government shutdown. The administration was ordered to use emergency funding just one day before the program was set to stop on Nov. 1.
Detroit City Council President Pro Tem James Tate, who chairs the Budget & Finance committee, will lead efforts to get additional funding if needed, the city said.
