Columbia City Council to vote on extra $50,000 for food bank as shutdown continues

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Columbia City Council will vote on Monday to allocate $50,000 to the Food Bank for Central & Northeast Missouri, as the federal government shutdown continues.

The item appears on the city council's consent agenda in Monday's meeting. Consent agenda items are voted on in a block without discussion.

The city government announced the decision in a news release Friday, saying the city would allocate $50,000 of emergency money to the food bank. The status of federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits are in doubt for November because Congress has not voted to fund them.

Two federal judges ruled on Friday that the Trump administration must use a contingency fund with $5.3 billion in it to cover SNAP payments. However, the program costs about $8 billion to $9 billion per month.

"Many households in our community depend on SNAP to meet their most basic needs," Columbia Mayor Barbara Buffaloe said in the news release. "This funding ensures that The Food Bank can continue to serve families who suddenly find themselves without this vital support."

The Boone County Commission has also approved an extra $50,000 for the food bank.