ELK CITY, Okla. (KFOR) - It's Day 36 of the government shutdown, and there is no end in sight. Nearly 700,000 Oklahomans who rely on SNAP benefits are now trying to find ways to help put food on the table after learning funds would not be sent out at the first of the month.

Rural Oklahoma is where most of the state's SNAP recipients live.

HELP Inc., a food pantry in the western part of the state, has some shelves sitting empty after an uptick in people needing food assistance.

"On a normal day, before we had the government shut down, we were serving anywhere from 5 to 700 families a month," said Wendy Walker, Executive Director at HELP Inc. "Since that has happened, it's accelerated very, very quickly."

HELP Inc. feeds four counties in rural Oklahoma, including Beckham, Dewey, Roger Mi

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