GRAND ISLAND, Neb. (KSNB) - The 35-day government shutdown has left over 150,000 Nebraska families without their usual Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also know as SNAP benefits, forcing local organizations to step up as residents struggle to put food on the table.

Annetta Ellis, a Grand Island resident caring for three grandchildren, said the stress has been overwhelming. Ellis was expecting her SNAP benefits on the first of the month for herself and the grandchildren she cares for, but the money wasn’t available.

“It just left me kind of, happen that I had to go into some money that I can’t really afford to go into,” Ellis said.

The pause has created a ripple effect throughout the community’s food assistance network. St. Mary’s Food Pantry has noticed groceries disappearing

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