OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. – In Osceola County, some local food pantries are seeing a marked increase in demand as the ongoing government shutdown places many employees in precarious financial positions. With food prices rising, residents who have lost paychecks are turning to community assistance programs to get by.

Laudelino Morales, a service technician currently out of work, said he has been forced to rely on pantry distributions to feed his family.

“I don’t have no milk in my house right now, it’s serious,” Morales said, speaking emotionally during a visit to the Church and Community Assistance Program. He described the situation as “touching ” and said he is willing to take any available work to make ends meet.

The pressure of the shutdown is compounded by the approaching holidays.

“I

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