KALISPELL — A rally in the Flathead Valley on Wednesday urged Representative Ryan Zinke to fully fund SNAP benefits and negotiate an agreement to reopen the government amid ongoing concerns about food assistance programs.
The event, titled "Zinke SNAP out of it," was organized by Flathead Democracy and partner organizations to pressure the congressman on food security issues affecting local residents.
Lance Fourstar, who serves on the City Council in Wolf Point, traveled more than 400 miles to attend the rally and expressed gratitude for its impact on the community.
"Especially feeding the people, that's very important, and I hope that this continues to happen, that we continue to gather food and gather resources for the less fortunate, and there's a lot of us out there," Fourstar said.
The rally served multiple purposes beyond advocacy, functioning as a food drive for Flathead Giving Table while organizers distributed free lunches to participants and community members in need.
In a Facebook post earlier this week, Zinke said it was because of politics that the Senate was only now moving forward on a continuing resolution to fund the government.
Zinke returned to Washington this week to vote on the bill to end the government shutdown.
