PEKIN, IL ( 25News Now ) - The people running a Pekin food pantry were not prepared for what they saw earlier this week.

A surge of folks in need came suddenly, as a Facebook post showed a large line out the door, emptying the shelves at the Hope Cupboard, which is part of the Hope Chest .

About 100 households, half of those first-time visitors, are facing cuts to food stamp benefits as the federal government shutdown drags on.

“[Thursday], we had a record number of families, more than half of them first time people here at our pantry and that has caused an issue for us to provide for all these people,” said Chris Boerma, who is Hope Chest’s president.

“We were blessed to have been able to provide for all these families yesterday, but this is what we have,” he continued.

Hope Cu

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