LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WAVE) - Food pantries in the Louisville area are getting ready for a potential increase in demand if federal workers go without pay for a prolonged period of time or if federal assistance programs get suspended as part of the government shutdown.

According to Dare to Care, 186,350 people are experiencing food insecurity in the 13 counties serviced by that nonprofit. That signifies a 48 percent jump in just the past two years.

“Right now is a scary time for many families,” Alexus Richardson, Dare to Care’s director of communications, said. “We’ve been seeing a lot of people visiting the food bank for the very first time, and so, people are already struggling to meet needs of food, housing, utilities, things like that.”

Richardson told WAVE News their biggest concern is t

See Full Page