Natalie Weber / Houston Public Media

With her two dogs Luna and Mekito in tow, Itzel Perez waited in her car for roughly three hours Saturday morning at a Houston Food Bank distribution site for SNAP beneficiaries and federal workers.

Perez was among thousands of people who came to NRG Stadium to receive groceries on the first day that funding was frozen for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), because of the ongoing government shutdown. Two federal judges last week ordered the Trump administration to use emergency funding for the safety net program, which serves about 1 in 8 Americans, but it was unclear Monday when SNAP benefits would be paid again.

Perez, a stay-at-home wife who was born with spina bifida, got a call telling her that her benefits had been cut off.

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