The shutdown brought the scale of the federal food aid program into focus and raised questions about how such a rich country could have so many people on nutrition assistance.

A former director of the U.N. World Food Program said the cutoff of SNAP benefits had immediate impacts on grocers and convenience stores of all sizes.

Treaster is one of the almost 700,000 Oklahomans who are on SNAP, many struggling to find food since the federal government shutdown stalled the food program. “It has been a lot of juggling, being very creative with meals, no snacks, only eating the designated meals, going to stand in the line at the food banks," said Treaster, who lives in Tulsa.

The Consumers Energy Foundation has announced a $250,000 grant to the Food Bank Council of Michigan to fund home delivery of food boxes for households with seniors, children, and people with disabilities.

Tennessee officials will begin distributing Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, giving recipients 65% of their expected November payment. The Tennessee Department of Human Services said in a news release that SNAP recipients who were expected to receive their payment during the first 12 days of November would receive that partial payment Wednesday.

The money will be distributed among five food banks in the county, which have seen increased demand since the government shutdown.

SZA teamed up with a Los Angeles restaurant to help provide food to families who have lost their SNAP benefits during the government shutdown.

Tens of millions of Americans who rely on the nation’s largest federal food assistance program have been caught in a weekslong swirl of Trump administration pronouncements, court orders and anxiety since the US government shutdown has called their ability to buy groceries into question.