For the first time in American history, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced that funds from the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also known as SNAP, will no longer go out starting Nov. 1. This is due to a lack of funding, which comes in light of the government shutdown that began Oct. 1, after Congress failed to pass a budget.

Two federal judges ruled that the Trump Administration must distribute SNAP benefits “as soon as possible” Oct. 31. The administration announced that it would release partial funding throughout November using contingency funds. A Trump official said this week that participants would receive 65% of total benefits, instead of the 50% it was previously estimated to be.

Judge John J. McConnell Jr. of the U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island ruled again today that the administration must fully fund the program. It is still unknown when participants will receive their benefits and how the administration will respond to the new ruling.

Food banks across the country have been preparing for the increased need that will result from the loss of benefits. John Boller, the executive director of the Coralville Community Food Pantry, said that they were seeing more people come in even before Nov. 1, and they were only expecting numbers to increase.

“We had our busiest Tuesday ever yesterday. Some of our colleagues and other pantries are again seeing historic numbers, we’re going to do our best to purchase more food,” Boller said.

Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds announced Oct. 30 that the state would provide assistance to six regional food banks if SNAP funds were cut. The governor also direct Iowa’s Department of Health and Human Services to match cash donations up to $1 million to meet increased demand.

But with the threat to funds came a wave of support from the community. Big Grove Brewery in Iowa City said it would donate $12,000 to food banks regardless of whether or not the program was funded in November, and Hy-Vee offered free hot meals to children 12 and under and had reduced prices for everyone else.

“It could be dangerous if that’s your primary source of nutrition for you or your children, your grandparents, could be life-changing and scary,” Boller said. “So we’re trying to get the word out: if you’ve never been here before, please go to your local food pantry to get what you need. We’ll do our best. There’s no way we’re going to be able to fill the need completely, but hopefully we can do enough to help people get by until the government reopens.”

The Iowa City Community School District sent out communication to students and guardians on Oct. 31 informing them of the resources the district offers to those who may be food insecure. In the district, no students are denied meals, extra food is donated to Table to Table and the Salvation Army and some schools, such as West, have pantries on site. The district also encouraged families to donate to local pantries.

The current federal shutdown became the longest one in American history Nov. 4, with no end in sight. Boller said that the politicization of these issues should not be happening.

“We believe hunger is a policy choice like this doesn’t have to happen, and hunger doesn’t have to be politicized,” Boller said. “If we just acknowledged food is a right, we would be throwing money at these programs knowing that this is the best tool we have in our toolkit. The pantry should just be a supplement. We’re not designed and built to weather full responsibility for the food insecurity crisis in our country.”

The federal government is responsible for funding SNAP, but it is up to the states to administer it. Iowa House District 90 Representative Adam Zabner said that he believed that Iowa politicians should be doing all they can to fund the program.

“I was really disappointed to see that our attorney general was not one of the 25 state attorney generals who signed on to the lawsuit,” Zabner said. “I also think when we’re talking about children in our state going hungry, we ought to be in special session right now figuring out what we can do to fix this problem.”

Those who want to support those who may be experiencing food insecurity can donate to local food banks. Locate local food banks here.