MARYVILLE, Tenn. — Second Harvest Food Bank of East Tennessee announced Wednesday it is activating its emergency plan in response to the growing need for food across the 18 counties it serves.

State and federal leaders have warned of a possible lapse in Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program benefits starting Nov. 1 due to the ongoing federal government shutdown.

The organization said community support has helped keep all its programs going while they work to meet the rising demand for food. To keep their shelves stocked, the food bank is doing several things:

Preparing additional emergency food boxes for immediate distribution

Increasing the amount of product for distribution at each of its mobile pantries throughout November

Supplying each Partner Agency with additional cases

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