The government shutdown has delayed federal food assistance payments to states and stressed local food pantries.
One Flagstaff distribution site has seen a 30% increase in demand over the last week.
A dozen cars were lined up outside the Flagstaff Family Food Center’s warehouse Friday morning.
One by one, staff and volunteers in fluorescent vests placed boxes of groceries and food staples into open trunks.
“We’re expecting the need to just keep going up and up and up," says Distribution Manager Chris Smiley. "On Tuesday, we broke our record for families served at our distributions. And then Wednesday, we broke the Tuesday record. And then on Thursday, we almost matched it.”
Vice President Ceara Chirovsky says people are coming to the center for assistance more often and the list of new clients is growing.
“The food is here. You do not have to go hungry, you can come to us and we will give you food to put on the table for yourself and your family and it is high quality and it is nutritious," Chirovsky says.
According to Chirovsky, the federal government shutdown has put the reliability of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, at risk.
A federal judge Friday ordered the Trump administration to fund the food stamp program during the shutdown.
But reloading the SNAP cards could still take weeks.
