CHARLOTTE, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) -- Lawmakers in Washington are working to reopen the federal government as the longest shutdown in history drags on.

It can't come soon enough for Tina Postel, the CEO of the Charlotte non-profit, Nourish Up.

"We can't possibly feed any more people than what we're already doing," she said.

Postel says all the area's food pantries put together can't come close to meeting the demand, which has spiked while federal workers go without paychecks and families in need aren't getting their full food benefits.

"You see it on their faces when they come into a pantry or when they're waiting in line for food: the absolute despair and panic," Postel said. "Even if the government opens today, it is not a quick fix to get everybody back up on their feet again."

The

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