OMAHA, Neb. —

Between the government shutdown, SNAP eligibility changes, and less food coming into the food bank, metro-area food pantries say they need help.

That's on top of an already high level of need this year. Together CEO and President Mike Hornacek says they are on pace to see 25-30% more people use their food pantries this year than did in 2020 or 2021. There was a spike amid the pandemic then.

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Bellevue Food Pantry Executive Director Aaron Bowen said they typically serve 1,500 people a month. But in October, they'll likely end up at around 1,800 people served, he said.

Bowen told KETV military-connected folks usually make up about 16% of the pantry's traffic, but that's "definitely been on the increase recently" because of the government shutdown.

The Bell

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