NEW ORLEANS — A New Orleans food bank says Louisiana residents could soon face a possible "hunger crisis" because of the partial government shutdown.
Second Harvest Food Bank says local food pantries have seen a spike in requests for help during the government shutdown. The organization now warns that food banks will face a "serious challenge" in the coming weeks because of issues with food stamp programs caused by the shutdown.
Earlier this month, Louisiana joined other states in handing out February food stamps because of the partial government shutdown. Officials warned that the benefits, which were set to be dispursed before Jan. 20, were not extra funds and were meant to last through February.
Second Harvest Chief Impact Officer Melanie McGuire said that residents who receive those limited February benefits, who often seek help from food panties at the end of each month, will spend those dollars earlier than normal.
“We could see a dramatic increase in need at our partner food pantries, at a time of year when donations are generally at a low point,” McGuire said.
Second Harvest President and CEO Natalie Jayroe described the situation as "unprecedented."
“The lost wages by so many federal employees combined with the impact upon low-income residents will put our ability to serve those in need to a serious test,” Jayroe said.
Second Harvest has established an emergency pantry in Belle Chasse, La., to serve U.S. Coast Guard service members who have not been paid in five weeks.
Whereas the other military branches are funded through the Department of Defense, the Coast Guard operates under the Department of Homeland Security.
"We have not gotten paid at all and I think the most stressful part is just pushing our bills back. Some companies are understanding; some companies are not understanding.” Diana Pitts, the wife of a Coast Guard member, told WWL-TV.
"A lot of us are living off of our savings and stuff and some of us don’t have a savings,” Pitts said.
As the partial government shutdown entered day 34 Thursday, the U.S. Senate is set to vote on two separate measures to end the stalemate. Both of the competing bills are expected to fail as 800,000 federal workers are days away from missing another paycheck.
If you are impacted by the government shutdown, you can call the Second Harvest Benefits Helpline at 1-855-392-9338.
Anyone wishing to help Second Harvest can click here to visit the organizations website.
WWL-TV reporter Duke Carter and the Associated Press contributed to this report.