Virginia creates emergency food assistance program as federal shutdown looms. Here's how it works.

"It's like building an airplane while it's taking off. It has never been done before," Youngkin said.

The governor declared a state of emergency last week to authorize the use of state funds for the program, called Virginia Emergency Nutrition Assistance or VENA. The initiative aims to fill the financial gap for Virginians enrolled in the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program who won't receive payments next month if the federal government doesn't reopen.

"We are creating a parallel food assistance program or system," Youngkin said. "This parallel system, which we are calling Virginia Emergency Nutrition Assistance or VENA."

While the state cannot make payments directly into the SNAP system, officials can load the same Electronic Benefits Transfer cards with money from the st