As of November 1, Mecklenburg County residents who rely on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) will likely see their benefits paused due to a federal government shutdown. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has instructed the State of North Carolina to suspend SNAP benefit issuance for November 2025.
Approximately 138,500 people in Mecklenburg County, across about 63,000 households, receive SNAP benefits each month. These benefits are entirely federally funded, and state or local governments are not allowed to use their own funds with the expectation of federal reimbursement. The total monthly distribution amounts to roughly $24 million, averaging about $175 per participant.
“No county in North Carolina, including Mecklenburg County, has the financial resources to supplement that level of funding,” said County Manager Mike Bryant. “However, we are engaging with our many community and food resource partners to mobilize a plan to ensure that Mecklenburg County residents and families will have access to the food they need. Mecklenburg County is making plans to contribute $740,000 through our partners and initiatives to support SNAP recipients, and we will share those details early next week.”
Any benefits already loaded onto participants’ EBT cards remain available for use. Participants can check their balances at ebtEDGE.com or by calling 1-888-622-7328.
Bryant noted that the pause in federal funding does not affect the ongoing work of the county’s Economic Services Division regarding eligibility determination and application processing. Residents may continue submitting SNAP applications and renewals.
Mecklenburg County schools enrolled a total of 153,537 students during the 2022-23 school year according to state data (https://www.dpi.nc.gov/), representing a slight enrollment decrease of 0.4% compared to the previous year (https://www.dpi.nc.gov/).
