COLUMBIA, S.C. — Thousands of South Carolinians are bracing for the loss of federal food assistance as Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits are set to stop in November. Across the Midlands, food pantries and churches are already seeing an influx of families in need.

At Harvest Hope Food Bank, shelves are nearly empty and lines outside are growing longer by the day. Erin Rowe, the organization’s CEO, said the situation feels increasingly urgent. She described it as “a mixture of almost like a disaster response,” explaining that “people are scared.” Rowe added that as media announcements about the SNAP cutoff have circulated, more families have been showing up for help.

“My shelves are pretty bare,” she said. “We are not anywhere equipped to deal with the, um, to ste

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