LANSING, Mich. — About 350,000 Michigan families will continue to have access to additional food assistance benefits during February in response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services announced Thursday.
Michigan previously approved the additional food assistance beginning March 2020 – and now that is being extended for February 2021 with approval from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service.
RELATED: Additional food assistance extended for Michigan families
“As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact virtually every aspect of our lives, the last thing Michigan families should have to worry about is being able to afford their groceries each week,” Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said. “Michiganders deserve to have peace of mind in knowing resources are available to help them during this time, which is why I’m grateful we can continue providing this vital support for families throughout the state.”
Eligible families will see the additional food assistance on their Bridge Cards by Feb. 28, with payments beginning for some households on Feb. 18.
These additional benefits will be loaded onto Bridge Cards as separate payments from the assistance provided earlier in the month.
More than 1.2 million people in Michigan receive federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits through the state’s Food Assistance Program.
Eligible families do not need to re-apply to receive the additional benefits, which only applies to those not already receiving the maximum benefit amount.
The 350,000 households that receive increased benefits represent more than 50% of the more than 690,000 Michigan households that received food assistance in September.
The remaining households already receive the maximum benefit.
