Governor Andy Beshear says he's found more than $9 million in state money to continue serving free lunches to Kentucky seniors.

Last month, the state announced all funding for senior meals had been exhausted.

That was abrupt news for senior meal providers, and state lawmakers called on the governor to find a solution.

Beshear says his finance cabinet will also evaluate the senior meals program, which have doubled and per meal cost since the pandemic.

No Kentuckian should face hunger.

And while I'm glad we found a temporary solution, we must ensure that we understand our people's needs as well as the cost controls and procedures for the senior meal program to appropriately budget and run these programs in the future.

The governor also says the state will cover expenses for the federal government's Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program, since the federal government will not.

During its shutdown, Beshear promised payments for just the month of November.

He says the federal government will also stop food stamps or Snap next month.

But she did not say the state would offer additional assistance for that program.