Tennessee food banks are experiencing higher than normal demand since SNAP federal food benefits were temporarily ended during a federal government shutdown. (Photo: John Partipilo/Tennessee Lookout)

Care & Share serves as a food resource of last resort in Unicoi County, where many residents remain out of work a year after Hurricane Helene destroyed local factories and businesses.

One in 10 county residents now relies on the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, to put food on the table — a marked increase from before the devastating storms.

When November 1 SNAP payments didn’t come, the small Christian ministry, which typically serves just 20 families per week, saw double the demand, handing out shelf-stable food supplies to 38.

“We have a faith that God will pro

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