From tuna fish cans to ramen noodles, Salvation Army staff and volunteers dumped donated food items into white cardboard boxes under a light rain Saturday as part of the organization’s one day “emergency food drive.” The effort was sparked by the murky future of federal food assistance and a record-breaking turnout at the Salvation Army’s Spokane food pantry last month.

“We are raising food just because of the increased need based on the government shutdown and some of the challenges that surround hard-working families right now,” said Capt. David Cain, county coordinator of the Salvation Army in Spokane.

The Trump administration declined to use $6 billion in emergency funding to fund food stamps, or Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, starting this weekend amid the government shu

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