Hoosiers who get federal food assistance through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program will receive March benefits through a split schedule.

The changes to this month’s SNAP are in response to an early distribution of February food stamp benefits ahead of the partial government shutdown.  Indiana’s Family and Social Services Administration says this will help “reduce the gap” where some families could have seen 60 days or more without a benefit payment.

The state agency says one half of March benefits will be sent on February 22 and the other half on the regular March schedule.

More than half a million Hoosiers use SNAP to help feed their families.