Mississippi Expects Surge In SNAP Applications Due To Unemployment, COVID-19

As federal supplementary benefits expire, more people across the country will be turning to programs like SNAP, previously called food stamps, and Temporary Assistance for Needy Family dollars.

In Mississippi, one of the nation's most impoverished states, 15% of the population already relied on SNAP benefits before the pandemic. And now the Mississippi's Department of Human Services, which administers and oversees these programs, is expecting a renewed surge applicants as both unemployment and COVID-19 infection numbers continue to rise.

Here & Now's Tonya Mosley talks with Bob Anderson, executive director of Mississippi's Department of Human Services.