Nonprofits worry about food insecurity in Southern Indiana as government shutdown continues

It’s been almost a month since the federal government shut down.

Nonprofits that serve lower-income families in Southern Indiana say they’re worried about the shutdown exacerbating food insecurity in the area.

Government workers are starting to miss pay, and the United States Department of Agriculture says Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program benefits, or SNAP, won’t be issued Nov. 1.

Alexus Richardson is a spokesperson for Dare to Care, a food bank that supplies pantries in 13 counties in Southern Indiana and Kentucky with food from the USDA and other sources.

She said people are already stretched — with inflation and rising grocery prices.

“Anything else layered on top of that is pushing people to the brink, and that's what we don’t want,” she said.

Richardson said they’ve a