DULUTH — Food shelves across the region are preparing for an increase in demand as federal food assistance is set to expire amid the government shutdown.

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program will end Nov. 1, unless there’s a last-minute deal to fund and reopen the government, or a federal judge orders the Trump administration to use emergency funds that its U.S. Department of Agriculture previously said could be used to keep most federal food assistance flowing in November.

But even if those contingency funds are tapped, it’s only enough to cover $5 billion to $6 billion of the $8 billion in monthly SNAP benefits.

If left to expire, some 42 million people who use SNAP in the United States, or approximately 1 in 8 people, will not have money to purchase food transferred to the

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