GREENSBORO, N.C. — As SNAP benefits prepare to end and the government shutdown continues, food pantries and small businesses across the Triad are stepping in to help families facing uncertainty.

In Archdale-Trinity, the Community Outreach of Archdale Trinity, known as COAT, is seeing a sudden increase in families seeking food assistance.

“We’re experiencing an increase in what I would call our regular clients, but we’re also having new people come in that we haven’t seen before,” said COAT Treasurer Gary Guffy. “We’ve had about 16 to 18 in the past few days, and that would be the number of new people we’d see in an entire month.”

The all-volunteer pantry relies entirely on community donations rather than federal funding. Guffy said the team is having to make tough decisions about how to

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