At the Salvation Army in Astoria, Major Philip Wittenberg says fear from families shows up who suddenly don’t know how they’re going to buy food.

“The fear, the palpable fear right now with SNAP, is the worst we’ve seen,” he said.

Wittenberg has served with the organization for 40 years, but says he’s never seen anxiety like this.

“We’ve increased our ordering knowing we are going to need more in stock,” Wittenberg said.

Nearly 2 million city residents who rely on SNAP were caught in days of conflicting federal guidance, leaving them unsure whether and when their EBT cards would reload, or whether benefits would be clawed back entirely.

That whiplash is what New York state Attorney General Letitia James is fighting in court.

“If you have benefits on your cards, you can use them,” she

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