Since the government shutdown began Oct. 1, many families have faced the sudden loss of SNAP benefits. For Ross Torrence, a father of six in Jacksonville, the November benefits never arrived, forcing him to find new ways to feed his children.

“I’ve just been running around food pantry to food pantry. Who’s available? What do they have available?” Torrence said.

He said pantries are doing everything they can to help, and while it isn’t always a full meal, his family will make it work.

“My kids are all six and under, so some of those things could be part of a meal,” he said.

Torrence works full-time as a manager at Wendy’s, putting in eight to 10-hour shifts. But with SNAP benefits frozen, he has taken on extra work delivering packages, sometimes working up to 18 hours a day to make ends

See Full Page