Little Rock, AR – (JonesboroRightNow.com) – Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders announced Saturday she is directing an additional $500,000 to Arkansas food bank networks. This comes following the Governor’s announcement last week delivering the same amount of aid to food banks, with the option to revisit every week should the shutdown continue.

Last week $83,000 was given to each of the state’s six food banks: Springdale’s Northwest Arkansas Food Bank, Norfork’s Food Bank of North Central Arkansas, Jonesboro’s Food Bank of Northeast Arkansas, Fort Smith’s River Valley Regional Food Bank, Little Rock’s Arkansas Foodbank and Texarkana’s Harvest Regional Food Bank.

The Governor’s HelpArkansas.com webpage will continue to direct Arkansans to food assistance resources as well as opportunities to volunteer or donate to help those in need.

“I handed out food at a food pantry earlier this week and saw this crisis with my own eyes: struggling Arkansans are hurting every day the Schumer Shutdown continues,” said Governor Sanders. “We need Senate Democrats to step up, reopen the government, and fully fund programs like SNAP, but as the shutdown continues, my administration will stand with our partners in the legislature, at churches, and in food banks to help Arkansans stay fed.”

The $500,000 in assistance comes from the state’s Restricted Reserve funds and was approved through emergency action by the Arkansas Legislative Council chairs. On Monday, November 10th, the funds will be distributed to the Arkansas Hunger Relief Alliance, which will then distribute the funding to the six Feeding America member food banks around the state, serving the highest SNAP recipient regions first.

Additionally, the Governor is encouraging the food banks to purchase Arkansas grown and manufactured goods.

Arkansas’ SNAP program serves nearly a quarter million beneficiaries at more than 2,700 retail locations and is impacted by Senate Democrats’ government shutdown. Arkansans affected by this are encouraged to visit HelpArkansas.com to find a nearby food bank and monitor guidance updates from Arkansas’ Department of Human Services, which oversees the state’s SNAP program.

Governor Sanders has pursued other policies to combat food insecurity and improve nutrition in Arkansas, including making Arkansas the first state in the South to offer free school breakfast to every single public school student, signing Arkansas up for Summer EBT to offer students food during the summer months, and making school lunch free for students who previously received reduced-price meals. The Governor recently announced two new farm-to-school pilot program to help put fresh, local produce in Arkansas schools.