One in eight Americans buy groceries using the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, including 1.9 million Illinois residents. If lawmakers don’t end the government shut down by Saturday, those benefits will not be available in November.

“That’s what I’m most concerned about,” said RJ, a Chicago resident who spoke to NBC 5 outside a Garfield Park food pantry Monday. “I’m getting a few items to hold me over until next month, like eggs, milk and things like that.”

Next month, RJ may not get the money he depends on as a SNAP recipient.

The average monthly benefit is about $187 per person. That number varies based on circumstances.

Most people who qualify have an income at or below the poverty level.

“I've got to try to get to a food pantry,” Jens, a SNAP recipient worried

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