ST. TAMMANY PARISH, La. — As the federal government shutdown drags into its third week, thousands of families across the Northshore may soon be relying more heavily on food banks.

Roughly 14,000 households in St. Tammany Parish receive ongoing SNAP assistance. But if the shutdown goes into November, SNAP benefits could get cut or be significantly reduced. So, local food banks are preparing. The Northshore Food Bank currently serves about 350 households, but CEO Yvette Roussel says that number could rise sharply.

“Realistically, maybe 15% of households might be looking for immediate assistance and reaching out to their local food banks because we do know there’s a range in terms of the amount of dollars in SNAP benefits they receive," Roussel said.

So far, the food bank has seen a handfu

See Full Page