ELMHURST, Ill. (WGN) — The Elmhurst-Yorkfield Food Pantry has been serving the community for 40 years and, aside from the pandemic, leaders say they have never seen demand this high.

The pantry is feeling the pinch, and the pressure is growing.

“If you'll remember with COVID, the toilet paper stock piling, that is really what it feels like now and actually, I think a little beyond that. It's very stressful. The parents are stressed, our seniors are stressed,” said Kathy Watts, the pantry’s executive director.

As federal SNAP benefits lapsed over the weekend for 42 million Americans, many families are turning to food pantries like Elmhurst-Yorkfield for help.

“There have been people who have come here for the first time, but also I notice we are getting people coming to the pantry who h

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