TYLER, Texas — The ripple effect of the government shutdown can be felt across East Texas. With the Nov. 1 deadline fast approaching, many families who relay on Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits are facing uncertainty.

Felicia McIntosh says even with SNAP, budgeting for her family of six is a daily challenge.

“I’ve seen a lot of hate and ugliness. A lot of people that just really — they look at SNAP people as lazy, refusing to work," McIntosh said.

She worries not just for her own children, but for hundreds of East Texas families who could soon go without a meal.

“They don’t want to see people struggle. They don’t want to see people going hungry — especially kids, the elderly," McIntosh said.

Across Tyler, families like Lisa Patlin's rely on food banks, but they are a

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