Minnesota officials say this weekend they will issue full Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program allotments for recipients for the month of November.
The announcement from the state Department of Children, Youth and Families comes after the U.S. Department of Agriculture said in a memo to states that it’s working to make funds available Friday for full monthly SNAP benefits. Besides Minnesota, officials in California, Kansas, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin have confirmed that some SNAP recipients already have been issued their full November payments.
Earlier on Friday, President Donald Trump’s administration had asked a federal appeals court to block a judge’s order that it distribute November’s full monthly SNAP food benefits amid a U.S. government shutdown, even as at least some states said they were moving quickly to get the money to people.
The judge gave the Republican administration until Friday to make the payments through the SNAP program. But the administration asked the appeals court to suspend any court orders requiring it to spend more money than is available in a contingency fund, and instead allow it to continue with planned partial SNAP payments for the month.
According to Minnesota officials, benefits will be issued to all households currently approved to get SNAP and MFIP payments for November.
“This means some households may receive payments earlier than would be typical. DCYF is doing this to take steps to protect Minnesotans during the uncertainty of potential future court orders,” according to a news release from DCYF.
State officials say that more than 440,000 Minnesotans each month, including 180,000 children and 67,000 seniors, use SNAP or welfare benefits through the Minnesota Families Investment Program.
“As the longest shutdown in U.S. history concludes its sixth week, we are incredibly grateful Minnesotans will soon have access to their food benefits thanks to important legal system updates,” said Children, Youth and Families Commissioner Tikki Brown, in a statement. “When food support disappears, the consequences for Minnesota are immediate and far-reaching. It impacts public health, the state and local economies, education, and workforce stability.”
St. Paul’s food drive
Meanwhile, earlier this week the city of St. Paul started a food drive to assist SNAP recipients facing a cutoff of benefits during the federal government shutdown. So far, city officials said they have collected more than 10,000 pounds of food for local food shelves.
“And it’s been a great response. St. Paul residents and city staff definitely showed up in a big way,” said Ikram Koliso, interim director of the city of St. Paul’s Office of Financial Empowerment. “So all that planning happened over the weekend and just in a few days we were able to collect and move over 10,000 pounds of food.”
St. Paul residents have been dropping off items at four locations where they are then picked up and brought to food shelves and community partners that include Keystone Community Services, Merrick Community Services, Feeding Frogtown and Hallie Q. Brown Community Center. Drop-offs also will begin at Neighborhood House early next week, Koliso said.
“But it’s really about coming together to help bring some essential items, including hygiene supplies, culturally familiar staples, pet food, even people creating recipe kits, which is super cool to see,” Koliso said. “And that was really proof that neighbors are thinking of every family member of the household and we’re seeing the best of St. Paul neighbors helping neighbors every single day. And this was just a great tangible way to do that.”
Talking with community partners that provide food shelves or meal programs, Koliso has heard of increased need for their services and more people coming in the door, most recently due to the impacts of the shutdown. That need has grown even more since Nov. 1 when SNAP benefits stopped, she said.
City officials are determining how long they will continue the food drive as they go week by week, Koliso said.
City staff, as well as cadets from the St. Paul Police Department, have been helping with donation pickups and drop-offs throughout the week. Koliso said the community organizations the city has worked with also would accept monetary support as well, donations which community members can make directly.
The St. Paul food drive has four sites to drop off food. City officials ask that donors drop off items during normal hours — they can be found at stpaul.gov/reccenters.
To learn more about the four sites accepting donations and what the most needed items are, go to tinyurl.com/3e37e2z6.
Ramsey County
In Ramsey County, officials are working to connect residents with resources such as food shelves or emergency assistance. But many other services are federally funded, said County Manager Ling Becker.
“Counties are a social safety net for the community. We’re at a moment where a lot of that infrastructure is just really fragile and the need is high,” Becker said.
County officials announced earlier this week that the county will provide $380,000 to local food shelves as the federal shutdown continues. Those food shelves could begin purchasing food starting Thursday. Another $70,000 is being reserved to purchase infant formula.
“This is a one-time infusion of funds, really. And you know, it’s temporary, it’s unsustainable,” Becker said on Friday. “We think it’s necessary, obviously, but these are not the types of funding for food that counties can sustain. So we are stepping up as it’s coming.”
Stillwater bar offers soup
Elsewhere, others have worked to provide food as well.
Adam To, the owner of Howard’s Bar in downtown Stillwater, got tired of doom-scrolling and negative news this week and decided to do something about it.
Adam To, the owner of Howard’s Bar in downtown Stillwater, made 80 quarts of chicken soup on Thursday, Nov. 6, 2025, to give away to people facing food insecurity. Pictured with To is Howard, his Staffordshire terrier. (Courtesy of Adam To)
On Thursday, To cooked 80 quarts of his famous chicken soup with brown rice, kale, carrots, corn, celery and onions and gave it away to people facing food insecurity.
“I just kind of just woke up and was, like, thinking about the sort of circumstances people are under right now financially,” he said. “I was, like, ‘Well, I’ve got the time and the space to contribute something.’ I was like, ‘Why don’t I make a big batch of soup and give it away?’”
To called local food shelves to invite people in need to come by and he advertised the giveaway on social media.
From 2 to 6 p.m. on Thursday, To and his Staffordshire terrier, named Howard, of course, handed out quarts of soup to whomever came by. No proof of income was required.
“I basically asked how many people they were feeding and just gave them what they needed,” he said. “One quart generally feeds two people, so if there was a family of six, I would grab three. I left it up to people based on what they thought they might use.”
To said he used two cases of chicken thighs; about 48 quarts of homemade chicken stock; 12 quarts of kale; 10 pounds each of carrots, onions and celery; two quarts each of chopped garlic and ginger, five pounds of corn kernels. Seasonings included salt, pepper, Cajun seasoning, onion powder, garlic powder, dried thyme and dried oregano.
“It was really good,” he said. “I didn’t want to make a giant batch of, like, bad soup. So I was like, ‘It’s gotta be good, too.’”
Some came by the restaurant, located at 302 S. Main St., to donate to the cause, said To, who had his Venmo QR code posted at the giveaway.
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“There were a lot of other small business owners who came out,” he said. “You know, there’s a lot of support down here. People seemed to be kind of energized by it, and it created a good atmosphere in downtown Stillwater. I was like, ‘This is good.’”
To, who took over the former Whitey’s three years ago and renamed the restaurant Howard’s in June 2023, said he plans to offer a soup giveaway a couple of times a year.
“It seems just the cost of everything is going up,” he said. “People seem squeezed. People’s benefits are reduced or are completely gone. I was just really tired of opening up my phone and seeing bad news every day. I knew I had to transform some of those sentiments into action and just do something to transform some of that scarcity into generosity.”
This story contains information from the Associated Press.
