The Oregon Department of Human Services will allow low-income residents enrolled in the federal food stamp program to purchase groceries online amid the coronavirus pandemic.

All Oregonians enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, known as SNAP, will be allowed to buy food online for delivery from Walmart and Amazon, making it easier for those residents to adhere to social distancing guidelines. The move is an expansion of a pilot program that the state rolled out in early March to allow SNAP recipients in Portland and Grants Pass to buy food online.

The federal government does not allow delivery or pickup fees to be paid for using food stamp benefits, meaning that SNAP recipients will still have to pay those fees out of pocket.

“We are grateful that these retailers expanded their grocery services to all Oregonians receiving SNAP benefits,” said Dan Haun, self-sufficiency programs director at the Oregon Department of Human Services, in a statement. “Convenience, quality and fresh groceries should not be determined by how someone pays. The expansion will increase food access for those who experience challenges visiting brick-and-mortar stores.”

The change in policy comes as the state is seeing an influx of Oregonians in need of food. The number of Oregonian applying for food stamp benefits quadrupled in the last week as unemployment rates skyrocketed due to the coronavirus crisis. The Oregon Food Bank has seen food assistance requests at its partner agencies increase by an estimated 20% to 30% as well.

Any additional changes to SNAP benefits and eligibility requirements for the program would have to be made by the federal government. However, residents that have lost their jobs or seen their work hours reduced due to the coronavirus crisis could become eligible for food stamp benefits, as well as food assistance through the Oregon Food Bank.

Susannah Morgan, chief executive officer of the Oregon Food Bank, said that the organization has made changes to its operations as well to maintain social distancing and meet the rising demand for food assistance in Oregon and Southwest Washington. More than 860,000 people per year were relying on the Oregon Food Bank’s network before the coronavirus crisis.

The Food Bank regularly holds food sorting events with more than 100 volunteers, but has altered its policy to allow no more that 15 volunteers at any event. With a more limited staff, the organization is no longer accepting food donations from the general public, which generally take longer to sort.

“We are strongly asking the community to donate funds, which we can then turn into food,” Morgan said. “We can purchase food by the truckload from manufacturers or growers in pack sizes that are readily available for distribution for families.”