Army
Head of Army Emergency Relief explains how to receive a grant for missed federal benefits
Stars and Stripes
November 4, 2025
A soldier selects items at the Armed Services YMCA food pantry in Harker Heights, Texas, on Oct. 30, 2025. (Rose L. Thayer/Stars and Stripes)
Michael Grinston, CEO of Army Emergency Relief, posted a video to his LinkedIn page explaining how soldiers can apply for grants to cover food stamps or child nutrition benefits that were missed because of the government shutdown.
Grinston’s video, which was shared on Reddit’s Army forum Monday, urges affected military families to visit the Army Emergency Relief’s website and apply for assistance under the basic needs category.
Applicants should state that they missed SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) or WIC (Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children) benefits in the form’s remarks column, he said. In the expense page, they should enter “food SNAP” or “food WIC.”
While Army Emergency Relief offered zero-interest loans at the start of the shutdown, Grinston’s video emphasizes the organization is offering grants for this specific need category.
Applicants can receive the grant if they are already enrolled in the aid programs and if their states have not paid benefits they were due. Some states have augmented their SNAP or WIC programs with state funds to continue delivering benefits.
New Mexico and Rhode Island officials said Monday that some SNAP beneficiaries received funds over the weekend from their emergency programs. Officials in Delaware are telling recipients that their benefits won’t be available until at least Nov. 7.
SNAP ran out of funds on Nov. 1 due to the monthlong government shutdown. Although the Trump administration on Monday said it would partially fund SNAP, payments have been delayed for millions of beneficiaries.
A similar situation is taking place with WIC, which also received a partial funding infusion.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.