The shutdown of the federal government continues with no end in sight.
For residents who receive food and heating assistance, it means that assistance could be temporarily halted.
Larissa Rasmussen, financial assistance supervisor for Des Moines Valley Health and Human Services, noted that funding for the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program runs out Saturday, with the shutdown preventing allocations from being processed until the shutdown ends.
DVHHS Human Services Director Craig Myers added that United Community Action Partnership also lost funding for energy assistance programs in the region.
Rasmussen noted 1,490 residents use stand-alone food benefits between Cottonwood and Jackson counties, including 604 children.
More on this story appears in the Oct. 29 print and e-editions of the Citizen.
