BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) - Local restaurants are partnering with the East Baton Rouge Parish Mayor-President’s office to provide free meals to families struggling without SNAP benefits during the ongoing government shutdown.

Net Byrd has spent the last 41 days worried about feeding herself and her children without full SNAP benefits.

“It’s been very difficult. We didn’t get much of nothing. I mean, it might’ve been $6 on some people’s cards depending on what they got, but you go to the grocery store, and everybody knows a loaf of bread is $4, so what can you buy with that?” Byrd said.

East Baton Rouge Mayor-President Sid Edwards said he and his team saw a need and are now stepping in to address the crisis.

“The government shut down has affected everyone, and if I could tell you what’s n

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