Irvine food bank preparing for SNAP funding lapse with extra deliveries, extended hours

With funding for food stamp benefits expiring on Nov. 1, Irvine's Second Harvest Food Bank spent its Halloween preparing to help the hundreds of thousands of people in Orange County who depend on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP.

About 42 Americans rely on the program, with nearly 310,000 living in Orange County. About 66% of the recipients are seniors and children, according to CalFresh, California's version of SNAP . Many could turn to nonprofits for help putting food on the table if federal lawmakers fail to fund the program during the government shutdown.

"We are all bracing," said Claudia Bonilla Keller, CEO of Second Harvest Food Bank. "The two food banks, the pantries that we support, are all bracing for more people to access the charitable food system.