Samuel Veney, owner of Philly Vegan on the city's south side, has implemented a "pay what you can" menu for the duration of the shutdown. The initiative allows any customer to pay whatever they can afford for their meal sometimes at a reduced rate, sometimes for free.

"There are people that are worried about what's going to happen in these upcoming days, weeks and months," Veney said. "I am seeing a lot of people that are afraid. They don't know where their next meal is coming from. They don't know where their next paycheck is coming from."

The shutdown has left millions of Americans furloughed or working without pay, while tens of thousands of Virginians risk losing SNAP benefits by October's end.

"When the government shutdown seemed like it was taking longer than expected, one of our

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