Local animal shelters, rescues are under strain. Here's how to help

Financial uncertainty, exacerbated by the government shutdown, has put immense pressure on local animal shelters and rescues.

Animal shelters and rescues are in need of donations, volunteers and fosters.

Animal shelters and rescues are calling out for help as recent cuts from the government shutdown, including to SNAP benefits, have created a trickle-down effect that may not be widely known.

The federal government took a step toward reopening on Sunday, but the 40-day shutdown - the longest in U.S. history - has had a widespread economic impact, multiple reports say.

Though there have been steps toward restoring it in New Jersey, funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP , ran dry at the beginning of November, leaving hundreds of thousands of residents with