As the federal government shutdown stretched into its 22nd day Wednesday, staff and volunteers at a Harlem food pantry said the line outside has swelled to record highs — even before federal SNAP benefits are set to expire next month.

At the Emma L. Bowen Community Service Center, a longtime Harlem institution that provides mental health, addiction treatment, and social services, the food pantry has already distributed more than 7,000 food packages by Oct. 21 — double last month’s total, according to internal figures. The center also logged 1,376 new clients this month, the largest single-month increase of the year.

“We’ve seen this movie before, unfortunately,” said Lawrence Fowler, the center’s acting executive director. “We were hopeful that maybe we wouldn’t have to go through this a

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