HELP FOR FOOD INSECURITIES IS A SNAP

Aanjibimaadizing is now SNAP certified

By VIVIAN LaMOORE, INAAJIMOWIN EDITOR

It is hard to focus and concentrate on work or school with hunger pains and a growling stomach. Yet so many community members, neighbors, family, and friends do so every day as households struggle with food insecurities. Making the household budget stretch far enough for food, medical bills, household utilities, and rent/mortgage payments is a challenge. To meet that challenge, oftentimes parents will skip meals so that their children have enough to eat; or families choose to pay for prescription medications instead of food; or there is an unexpected maintenance bill or auto repair that must be made instead of grocery shopping. There is no single root cause of hunger. Even for households where family members are working full- or part-time, their household incomes just do not stretch far enough to cover the grocery bills and other expenses, especially with inflation and skyrocketing food prices.

Aanjibimaadizing can help. Aanji is now an authorized administrator for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) for all Mille Lacs Band member and first-generation descendant households who meet eligibility guidelines in Aitkin, Benton, Chisago, Crow Wing, Kanabec, Mille Lacs, Morrison, and Pine counties of Minnesota. SNAP is a federal program that helps Minnesotans with low incomes get the food that is needed for sound nutrition and well-balanced meals. SNAP benefits can be used to buy food, plants, and seeds to grow food for you or your family. The program provides support to help stretch the household food budget. It is not intended to meet all of the household food needs. It is a supplement. You can also use SNAP benefits at the Farmer’s Market to purchase fresh fruits and vegetables. They cannot be used to buy nonfood items (such as paper products or household and personal hygiene supplies), alcoholic drinks, tobacco products, vitamins, medication, pet foods, foods eaten in the store, or hot ready-to-eat “deli” food.

Most food benefits are distributed through Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT), which is similar to a debit card. Each month, your EBT account is credited with your benefits. During the month, you use your card to purchase food at enrolled grocery stores or other authorized food sites. You swipe your EBT card through a point-of-sale terminal and the purchases are deducted from your account balance. You may authorize an additional person to use your EBT card.

The application process is fairly easy. Now that Aanjibimaadizing is a merit-certified administrator of the program through the state of Minnesota, you can stop in at any Aanji office and a case manager can help walk you through the process.

Anybody can apply, and it is easy to get started. The program is income-based. The amount of benefits you get is based on your income, expenses, and the number of people in your household. If you have questions about your eligibility, Aanji can help. You may be eligible for some benefits, even if you are working full-time. “The best thing to do is have us check to see if you are eligible,” Aanjibimaadizing Case Worker Kaari Weyaus said. “The worst place you could be is right back where you started. Even if it is only a little bit, every little bit helps.”

The application is also available online at mnbenefits.mn.gov.

Food insecurities are an issue for many families. “Nobody likes to talk about it, which is totally understandable, but let us help you,” Weyaus said. “Even if you don’t use the benefits right now, having them for some point when things are really rough is helpful. Everybody needs help sometimes. It is not going to hurt to try.”

Becoming merit-certified is a long process to go through, said Aanjibimaadizing Executive Director Tammy Wickstrom. Aanji staff met with individual counties and other stakeholders to give many presentations and trainings.

“Now that we can administer this program ourselves, we no longer need to send people to the county,” Wickstrom said. “It is a benefit to be able to come to our office instead of going to the county.”

Aanji can even print and issue the cards directly at the District I office and have them delivered to outer districts within one to two days. In emergency situations, Aanji can get cards delivered within one day.

There are plans to also administer SNAP benefits in the Urban office within the next few months.