GULFPORT, Miss. (WLOX) - Gulf Coast Community Ministries in Gulfport says more families are turning to them for help putting food on the table as the government shutdown stretches into day 38.

The food pantry normally serves about 60 people a week. They’ve seen that number more than double since the shutdown began.

To meet the growing need, the ministry has launched its “Pack the Pantry” drive.

“We take food donations 24/7, 365, but we are specifically trying to ramp up for this government shutdown for the extra influx of people that come through here,” said Wayne Alewine, executive director of Gulf Coast Community Ministries. “We want to make sure that everybody is taken care of... We don’t want to turn anybody away, so we need help from everybody out here.”

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