With SNAP benefits on hold, more pet owners are facing an impossible choice: feed themselves or their pets. The MSPCA-Angell animal welfare nonprofit says requests for help have surged, prompting an urgent call for donations to keep families and their animals together.

“We want to make sure that people are able to feed their pets while they’re making impossible choices on incomes that were already limited before this shutdown,” said Alyssa Krieger, director of MSPCA-Angell Community Outreach, in a statement .

Funding for SNAP benefits ran out on Nov. 1 , and it is unclear when it will be restored.

In response, the Outreach team is increasing the number of food pantries it is operating this month, including expanding operations in some of the hardest-hit communities, such as Lawrence

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