St. Louis-area food banks and pantries are overwhelmed.

Operators say their resources, staff and volunteers can’t keep up with the growing need for food.

On May 16, an EF3 tornado decimated thousands of homes in St. Louis, making many people food insecure who were not before.

Then, an already uncertain environment around Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Plan funds became more urgent when the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced it would not fund the food aid program in November due to the government shutdown. All this happened as rising food prices had already created increased demand at pantries.

The shutdown ended Wednesday night, meaning Missourians should soon see their full SNAP benefits restored. But the delay in aid has still been catastrophic, food aid providers said.

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