The Supplemental Food Assistance Program, or SNAP, helps around 42-million Americans each month. It is run by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and fully funded by the federal government, but state and local agencies handle the distribution of funds to their residents.

According to the latest data from the Virginia Department of Social Services, over 854,000 Virginians received benefits in September including over 172-thousand in Central Virginia.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture told states in an October 10 letter obtained by Politico to pause November SNAP payments until further notice. Local agencies in Powhatan and Henrico have already alerted residents in recent days to the possibility of delayed benefits.

In a Wednesday news conference, the executive director of the Federation

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