AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – The government shutdown has reached 22 days, making it the second longest in history, with no signs of ending soon.

Starting Nov. 1, the lack of government funding means no SNAP food benefits, no grants for local nonprofits and limited veterans assistance. Local nonprofits are preparing for a surge in demand if the situation continues.

The need has already increased over recent years from COVID-19 to Hurricane Helene, and now the government shutdown adds another layer of pressure as many people wait to see if they’ll receive paychecks.

“Right now, a lot of people are just a paycheck away from being homeless. And so losing a few paychecks can be a really daunting thing. And we want to make sure that people know they can turn to the Salvation Army if that is a fear that they face,” said Janelys Villalta, Salvation Army marketing and public relations manager.

The situation is particularly challenging for the local area, which has two of the largest employers being SRS and Fort Gordon.

“Then on top of that, we’ve got two of the largest employers in our area, our SRS and Fort Gordon. So, a lot of federal contract workers and folks are working without pay right now. We know the military has been protected so far. We know that there are a lot of contractors that are part of our economy here. And so they are really starting to feel the pinch after three weeks of a government shutdown,” said Amy Breitmann, president and CEO of Golden Harvest Food Bank.

When benefits such as WIC or SNAP are impacted, food banks expect to see more demand.

“If people are struggling and benefits are cut, then they’re going to turn towards the charitable food system for support. And so that means our partners and our programs and our child feeding programs, senior centers, all of that will feel it, which will ultimately put more pressure on the food bank to have more food that goes out to those locations,” Breitmann said.

Food banks are spending more money on food and trying to bring in as much as possible to meet the expected demand.

The area already faces high food insecurity rates that continue to climb.

“What we know is that our food insecurity numbers are higher than they’ve ever been, right? We have one in two children in Hancock County. We have one in four children across our service area. So the numbers are already rising, and I think this is only going to contribute to that,” Breitmann said.

For some families, a paycheck could mean the difference between having their lights on or food on the table.

Despite the uncertainty, local organizations are working to provide stability.

“Even though a lot of people are going through kind of like uncertainty about where they can get their food from, we’re here to kind of be that staple that they know they can get warm meals from us,” Villalta said.

United Way 211 expects to see increased call volume as the shutdown continues.

“I’m pretty sure that the calls for 2-1-1 are going to amp up due to the government shutdown. Right now, we can only provide what we have,” said Danielle King, United Way 211 manager.

The organizations are also calling on the community for support.

“It’s going to take our community coming together and realizing that this is not just a food bank’s need, not just our neighbors’ need. It’s our responsibility as a community to come together,” Breitmann said.

Local nonprofits, including Golden Harvest, the Salvation Army, United Way and the HuB, are available to help. The Salvation Army recommends applying for their assistance program now if you’re waiting on a paycheck.

Many of these nonprofits are also looking for volunteers and donations.