Meeker County officials want to get some information out to the public regarding the status of various programs that are being impacted by the federal government shutdown. Meeker County is working on coordinating with several community partners and are also keeping their website and social media up to date as information inevitably changes.
The Minnesota Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) has announced that if the federal government shutdown continues into November, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will not have enough funds to issue November SNAP benefits.
As of October 16th, Meeker County – like other counties and tribal nations across Minnesota -cannot approve new or pending SNAP applications until further notice. Residents who already receive SNAP benefits before October 16th can continue to use them as usual. Applications approved by October 15th will still receive October benefits. You can still apply for assistance through MNbenefits.mn.gov, but new SNAP approvals will be paused until funding resumes.
If the shutdown continues into November, SNAP and Minnesota Family Investment Program (MFIP) benefits will not be issued for that month. MFIP applications can be approved through Wednesday, October 29, but not beyond that date if the shutdown continues.
WIC (Women, Infants & Children) remains open and operating as of Oct. 15. WIC recipients should keep their appointments, continue shopping with their eWIC card, and use benefits as normal. For local food resources, visit the Meeker County website or contact Meeker County Health and Human Services at 320-693-5300 for assistance.
Meeker County will continue to share updates as new information becomes available, and thanks everyone for their patience and understanding as we navigate this situation together.
If the shutdown continues into November, SNAP and Minnesota Family Investment Program (MFIP) benefits will not be issued for that month. MFIP applications can be approved through Wednesday, October 29, but not beyond that date if the shutdown continues.
A long-time member of the Peanut Butter & Milk Festival/Sister City exchange program between Litchfield and Hartford, Alabama has been visiting Meeker County this past week. Stacy Hatcher of Hartford, a long-time FFA advisor at Geneva County High School, has been hosted by Roger & Janet Huhn on their farm, south of Darwin.
Hatcher says the Huhns visited him in Hartford a few months ago as they were traveling back from Florida and he asked them when it would be a good time to visit Minnesota to witness the corn harvest, and they suggested October, so he flew up a few days ago and will be returning to Alabama tomorrow. He says it’s been pretty wet this week, but he did get to see some corn harvesting and has admired the black soil of the fields that have been tilled.
Hatcher says he got involved in the exchange program between Litchfield and Hartford in 1982 when he became the FFA advisor in Hartford. He retired in 2012, but has continued to be involved in the program which was started in the fall of 1971 by Litchfield grocer Bruce Cottington and Paul Dean who was the FFA advisor at that time in Hartford, and he sees the program continuing for at least another half century.
Hatcher says he and his wife, Cary, and their daughters made numerous trips to Meeker County over the years as part of the exchange program, and they hosted several people from the Litchfield area over the years at their farm near Hartford. He says he was diagnosed with throat cancer two years ago, but it was caught early and he went through chemotherapy and radiation and then shortly after that, his wife – Cary – was traveling in Europe, had a medical emergency and passed away in France which was a nightmare.
Hatcher says his daughter, Casey, and her family live in Northern Alabama and his daughter, Anna, and her family live near Palm Springs, California so when he travels to see his four grandchildren, it’s either 4 and a half hours by car or 4 and a half hours by plane. He says Nathan Parker, who visited Litchfield last February, is the FFA advisor now in Hartford and the program is in good hands.
In honor of the Litchfield Opera House’s 125th anniversary, the Minnesota State Band will perform in a free concert on Saturday at 4 p.m. at the Opera House. The Litchfield Area Male Chorus and the Rainbow Singers will perform a number with the band, and the concert will be followed by a grand buffet.
Connie Lies says no reservations are required – just show up for the free concert, and the buffet will follow which costs $10 for adults and $7 for kids under 12. She says the buffet will include turkey, ham, chicken, Swedish meatballs, BBQ meatballs, 3 kinds of chili, corn, beans, carrots, mashed potatoes and gravy, scalloped potatoes, sweet potatoes with marshmallow topping, corn bread, cranberries, deviled eggs, mushrooms in garlic sauce, dressing, and assorted breads, desserts and beverages.
Lies says the concert is made possible with a grant from the Arts & Cultural Heritage fund and from some generous local donors. She says the Minnesota State Band is the last state band in the nation and it includes dozens of talented musicians.
Lies says it will take a little time after the concert to move the chairs in the Opera House and set up the tables for the buffet diners, and you can just come for the concert, just come for the buffet, or attend both. She says the Litchfield Opera House interior is nearly complete – they just need to get the railings installed in the balcony which they had hoped would be done in time for tomorrow’s concert, but the balcony is still off limits at this time.
