Washington will direct nearly $2.2 million per week to the state’s food banks, Gov. Bob Ferguson announced Tuesday, before the expected cutoff of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits Nov. 1 due to the ongoing partial federal government shutdown.

Nearly 930,000 low-income people in Washington — or more than 1 in 10 residents — rely on the federal anti-hunger program to keep their fridges full and pantries stocked, with roughly $37 million of federal funds going to homes across the state each week. Many will turn to food banks and food pantries as their last resort.

Ferguson announced Tuesday he will direct the state’s Department of Social and Health Services to shift nearly $2.2 million per week in funding to the state Department of Agriculture, which provides grants directl

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