DANE COUNTY, Wis. (WMTV) - Food pantries across Dane County are experiencing a significant increase in demand following recent cuts to SNAP benefits .

At Badger Prairie Needs Network in Verona, volunteers are working to keep shelves stocked as new families arrive daily seeking assistance.

“We typically get maybe four or five new families in a typical shopping day and we’ve been getting 10 to 12 new families,” said Tracy Burton, food pantry director at Badger Prairie Needs Network.

The increase comes as federal cuts to SNAP benefits have left families struggling to afford groceries. Burton said the pantry served 78 households Wednesday night, compared to their typical 55 families.

“That’s a huge jump to deal with,” Burton said. “What we’ve seen in the last few days is a 40% increase i

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