Naomi Finkelstein is a regular at El Centro de la Raza’s Beacon Hill food bank and cheerfully greeted staffers when she arrived Friday, despite being worried about her own situation, made tougher by delays in federal aid.

The 63-year-old normally receives $33 in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits on the seventh of every month, but on Friday morning, despite news that the federal government had approved funding for November, she had yet to see her benefits come through.

“I’m not holding my breath,” she said.

It has been a frenzied week for those who rely on federal benefits to feed themselves and their families — and for the food banks and pantries that provide groceries and meals to thousands of Washingtonians each month. Food banks reported a range of impacts during the

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