PORTLAND Ore. (KPTV) - The uncertainty over SNAP benefits has created a ripple effect on local businesses that saw aisles clear out when funds were halted earlier this month.

The People’s Food Co-op in Southeast Portland has served the community since the 1970s, but staff say they have never seen a moment like this. Even with funds reloaded last week, customers are worried the funds are temporary, impacting sales at the store and local farms growing food.

“It’s been really wild. We started hearing about the interruptions a few weeks ago and already we could see the panic in customers,” said Tamara Lynne, Famer’s Market Coordinator at the People’s Food Co-op.

As thousands of families in the Portland metro have been on a roller coaster with SNAP benefits cut, then reloaded, and now threat

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