Danyelle Wilson-Kennedy is used to November being one of the most stressful months of the year. She has to scrape together resources to make her young son’s birthday special, plus prepare for the holidays , all on extremely limited income.

This year, Wilson-Kennedy faces the added challenge of losing $538 in monthly food assistance as a result of the federal government shutdown, just as she is trying to get back on her feet after moving to a new home in Portland.

“I’ve been working on getting a job,” Wilson-Kennedy said. “This whole government shutdown right in the middle of me trying to stabilize myself is difficult.”

The 23-year-old single mom said she worked off-and-on since giving birth to her son almost four years ago. However, her work income was always low enough that she qua

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