On a recent Wednesday afternoon, the lunch service at Serving Seniors in downtown San Diego was busier than usual. Staff said more people have been showing up since the federal government did not pay Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits on Nov. 1.

Mary Eastwood took a bus from El Cajon to have lunch with her sister at the center. She is 86 and lives on a fixed income. She depends on the benefits to help buy food.

“Without it, every penny counts,” she said.

Nearly seniors in San Diego County rely on CalFresh, California’s version of SNAP, to help pay for groceries.

But because of the government shutdown, her benefits have been delayed.

“I went yesterday to Walmart and I was showing, buying something, and I show my card and they say there's nothing in there. It hurt

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