SOUTH PORTLAND, Maine — The South Portland Food Bank typically serves about 70 families each Thursday. But over the past few weeks, that number has climbed to more than 100, a shift Executive Director Dwayne Hopkins says reflects growing need across the community.

“This is not unique,” he said. “What we are seeing is happening all across the United States of America.”

Even with the federal government back open and SNAP funding secured through next September, leaders at the pantry say the pressure on families isn’t going away anytime soon.

“Because people are behind right now,” he said, pointing to the inflated cost of living and coming heating bills. “It takes a while to rebuild that.”

Hopkins says it will be much longer than a few weeks, “I’m anticipating it to be at least three mon

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