SALT LAKE CITY — In a warehouse pulsing with music and purpose, hundreds of volunteers gathered on Wednesday afternoon to pack food boxes for Utah families affected by the government shutdown and federal SNAP benefit cuts.

The goal was ambitious: fill 3,000 backpacks with seven meals each to help children get through the weekend. By the end of the night, they had exceeded it.

“This is about SNAP relief,” said Michelle Benedict, Director of Global Programs for the USANA Foundation, which hosted the event. “Those bags are going to go out to all five school districts here in the valley.”

The food-packing effort was a response to growing food insecurity across Utah , where local food banks have been pleading for donations for weeks. Volunteers from organizations including Bountiful Food P

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