Dozens of volunteers sifted through huge pallets overflowing with 40,000 pounds of pears fresh off a truck from the Wenatchee Valley on Tuesday afternoon at Second Harvest distribution center in Spokane.

They piled the fruit into smaller boxes that will be sent to food banks in Washington and Idaho.

The massive operation stocks the shelves for more than 200 food banks and other services in 26 counties. Second Harvest, “the food bank for food banks” distributed 35.5 million pounds of food last year, or 18 semitrucks worth of food each week.

Even with all that food, food banks like Second Harvest won’t be able to fill the need left by the impending pause on food stamps, or the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, from the government shutdown.

“SNAP distributes about nine ti

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