GREEN BAY, Wis. (WFRV) – Thousands of Wisconsinites woke up on Friday to find money in their FoodShare accounts.
According to the Associated Press, $104 million of monthly food benefits became available at midnight on electronic cards for about 337,000 households in Wisconsin. One of those households was Terry and Starr Mleziva in Green Bay
Starr said she called the number on her Quest card on Friday to see if there was money on her account and was so happy to find out that there was. She said she told her husband and he couldn’t believe it and she had to call the number again to confirm.
“A real godsend to have that on there,” the Mleziva’s told Local 5 News. “Oh it was like Heaven, it was the greatest feeling.”
They told Local 5 News they received their full $279 FoodShare payment for the month of November.
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SNAP programs across the country have been in limbo for weeks as the federal government remains shutdown.
“We were kind of scared and worried about how we were going to get our next meal,” said Terry Mleziva about what the last few weeks have been like for him and Starr.
Terry is on disability and Starr is his full-time care giver. They said without their FoodShare benefits they wouldn’t be able to buy food to eat. With their FoodShare benefits stalled for the first few days of November, they had to go to a pantry at their church to get food.
Terry said it was his first time ever going to a pantry. He said he and Starr really appreciate the church’s pantry, but it’s just not the same as having the FoodShare benefits and getting to shop at the grocery store. Terry has dietary restrictions due to his health and said it’s harder to find items that fit with his diet at the pantry than at the grocery store.
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They said the news Friday that their FoodShare benefits for November had finally hit their account was amazing and a much-needed relief. It also gives them piece of mind and will make it easier for them to enjoy the holidays.
On Friday night, the U.S. Supreme Court granted the Trump administration’s emergency appeal to temporarily block a court order to fully fund SNAP food aid payments. A state official tells Local 5 that because the state has already issued the FoodShare payments for November, Wisconsinites won’t lose them because of the ruling from the high court.
