Carlos Gomez, a federal employee based in San Antonio, Texas, has been relying on a local food bank to feed his family during the government shutdown.

"I have a very large family, so it's getting kind of hard. Whether the government is shut down or not, bills need to get paid," Gomez said.

"I tell people, don't ever be ashamed to ask for help," he added.

Nearly a month into the shutdown , food banks across the country are already straining to meet rising demand from hundreds of thousands of federal workers who are furloughed or working without pay .

Now, they are bracing for an even bigger surge.

More than one in eight Americans depend on food stamps from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, but those benefits are set to lapse on Nov. 1, according to the U.S. Dep

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