Every other Saturday, the food pantry in the basement of Central Christian Church in downtown Indianapolis used to see between 45 and 50 households come by for groceries. This Saturday, that number rose to more than 75.

“We’ve had lots of new people that we didn’t know before,” said Beth White, one of the volunteers running the food distribution. “And we know that new people coming to us means the demand is great.”

Many Americans are at risk of losing food aid if the government shutdown continues, as funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, which helps about 1 in 8 Americans buy groceries, will end by Nov. 1.

“For me personally, I think I can absorb it because I’m one. But please, I’ve got to hearken back to the families. What do you think they’re gonna go through?” said Reggie Gibbs, 64, a SNAP recipient.

The Trump administration is rejecting the idea of using roughly $5 billion in contingency funds to keep food aid flowing into November amid the government shutdown, according to a Department of Agriculture memo that surfaced Friday.

Suzanne Cavanaugh, 33, said she is not eligible for SNAP because her Social Security check puts her above the income threshold. The food bank helps her make ends meet.

“Right now, times are tough for everybody. And it’s gonna get even harder because of the government shutdown,” she said.

If the number of people using food banks continues to rise, White said she worries her organization might not be able to keep up.

“What we know about food insecurity in this country is that volunteer food pantries like ours and others cannot meet the need,” she said. “SNAP is an essential piece of meeting the food need in the United States. And SNAP is being cut. It’s very tragic.”