PEORIA ( 25News Now ) - As the federal government shutdown entered its second day Thursday, the Peoria Area Food Pantry is preparing for an influx of families seeking assistance while grappling with concerns about its own donation supply.

The shutdown began Wednesday at midnight, leaving federal employees potentially working without pay and creating uncertainty for benefit recipients across the region.

Jeanette Wennmacher, Peoria’s Food Pantry manager, said current SNAP benefit recipients will not be affected this month. However, if the shutdown continues, it could disrupt the benefit approval process for new applicants, forcing more families to seek help from local food pantries.

“We will rely more on donations, I mean some of our donations may be laid off from this,” Wennmacher said

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