As the court battle played out through the day, at least nine states, including Pennsylvania and New Jersey, had already begun issuing SNAP benefits.

About $100 million in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits started reaching Pennsylvanians Friday in a major victory for Gov. Josh Shapiro’s administration. Shapiro, at a news conference Friday at North Philadelphia’s Share Food,

A back-and-forth court battle has led to further uncertainty for the food assistance program, which serves close to 1 million people in the Greater Philadelphia area.

The Department of Agriculture threatened to impose financial penalties on states that do not "comply" quickly with their new orders.

Shapiro emphasized there's no shame in needing help right now. If you do, you can find a food bank or pantry in your area by calling 211 or visiting PA211.org. Thursday marked the sixth day millions of people were without food assistance, and Pennsylvania leaders wanted to share what they're doing to help people keep food on their tables.

After federal court rulings, SNAP will issue November benefits to over 2 million Pennsylvanians — but at only half the usual amount.

Pennsylvania is making progress in its effort to feed residents whose food stamps were halted due to the federal government shutdown.

Tara Pena, who helped put the drive together, said the effort grew out of concern for students and parents navigating uncertainty while waiting for SNAP assistance. “The SNAP be