Whitmer Announces More Food Assistance As Holidays Approach

Governor Whitmer today announced all Michigan families who are eligible for food assistance benefits are receiving an additional monthly payment in November in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and to make groceries more affordable in time for the holidays. More than 1.26 million Michiganders, nearly 700,000 households, will receive additional food assistance benefits.

“My top priority every day is making life easier for Michigan families, and that is especially true as we enter the holiday season,” said Governor Gretchen Whitmer. “By delivering additional relief to Michigan families on their grocery bills, we can ease financial burdens for Michiganders, drive down costs, and put more money in people’s pockets as we all look forward to gathering with our loved ones over the holidays.”

Eligible clients will see additional food assistance benefits on their Bridge Card from Nov. 13-23. These benefits will be loaded onto Bridge Cards as a separate payment from the assistance that is provided earlier in the month.

Some Michiganders began receiving additional food assistance in April 2020 after the beginning of the pandemic that started the month before. In May 2021, all eligible households began getting extra monthly benefits. Federal approval is necessary every month.

All households eligible for SNAP receive an increase of at least $95 monthly, even if they are already receiving the maximum payment or are close to that amount. Households that received over $95 to bring them to the maximum payment for their group size will continue to receive that larger amount.

Below are the maximum allowable benefits for SNAP customers based on their respective household size:

One Person: $250
Two Persons: $459

Three Persons: $658
Four Persons: $835
Five Persons: $992
Six Persons: $1,190

Seven Persons: $1,316
Eight Persons: $1,504

The federal government is providing additional funding to states for food assistance under House Resolution 6201, the Families First Coronavirus Response Act.

Eligible families do not need to re-apply to receive the additional benefits. People who receive food assistance can check their benefits balance on their Michigan Bridge Card by going online to www.michigan.gov/MIBridges or calling a consumer service representative toll-free at 888-678-8914. They can ask questions about the additional benefits by calling or emailing their caseworker.

Customer service is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Spanish and Arabic service is available. If you are deaf, deafblind, or hard of hearing or speech-impaired, call the Michigan Relay Center at 7-1-1.

Information around the COVID-19 outbreak is changing rapidly. The latest information is available at Michigan.gov/Coronavirus and CDC.gov/Coronavirus.

Whitmer Announces More Food Assistance As Holidays Approach

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