Vanessa Lockett, a 73-year-old disabled retiree living on a fixed income in Jacksonville, is worried about losing her Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits.

She relies on the program to buy food, but the current federal government shutdown threatens to halt SNAP funding starting Nov. 1.

“It is difficult. Yes. Am I worried? Yes,” Lockett said.

SNAP is federally funded and provides millions of Americans with monthly assistance to purchase groceries. But with the government shutdown ongoing, the program is expected to run out of money this Saturday, putting millions of people at risk of losing access to benefits.

Lockett receives about $82 per month in SNAP benefits, which breaks down to roughly $2 a day for food. As a diabetic, she needs to buy higher-quality protein

See Full Page