New Mexico has the highest rate of SNAP participation in the country, with over 450,000 people receiving support through the federally funded food assistance program. The federal government has told states the benefits will run out in November if the federal shutdown persists, leaving local and state leaders bracing for the impact of a potential freeze of the program if a resolution isn’t achieved before Nov. 1.

On the latest episode of “Around the Roundhouse,” Santa Fe New Mexican state politics reporter Daniel J. Chacón speaks with Jason Riggs, advocacy and public policy director for Roadrunner Food Bank in Albuquerque, who discusses the reliance of the state on SNAP benefits, the impact a stoppage of the program would have, and what food banks and communities are doing to attempt to fill in the gaps in food assistance.

Riggs says the SNAP program can provide nine times the amount of meals that the entire nationwide food bank network can, making it an essential safety net for millions of people. That’s not a gap food banks can make up, even with ramping up their efforts, Riggs says. “We’re gearing up for an absolute public health crisis,” he said about the potential freeze of the SNAP program.

Riggs discusses what the state is doing to try to support residents who rely on food assistance and how communities, faith-based organizations and restaurants are stepping up their efforts to help out.

For people in need of help, Riggs says to call the Roadrunner Food Bank’s food assistance hotline at 505-349-5340 or go to www.rrfb.org and click “Find Help” to use a food finder tool that works for the entire state.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.