CHARLOTTE, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) -- As the government heads into a now month-long shutdown, millions of Americans will have less food on the table as November begins.
"Knowing that they're going to be cut off is detrimental. Me and my fiancée, we both work. We're trying to make ends meet and between bills and food, now we have to start making choices," said Carlissia Grice, a Charlotte mom of seven.
She's one of more than 1.4 million North Carolinians who rely on SNAP benefits. She gets about $1,000 a month to feed her large family.
But on Saturday, what happens next?
It’s been the only thing on her mind for the last few days.
"Even that's not enough,” Grice said. “And we're using cash to pay for food throughout the month, like, even, like going to pantries and just trying to make ends meet because it's just not meeting.”
SNAP benefits are set to expire on Saturday, Nov. 1. Their funded through appropriations from the federal government. But funds haven't been made available due to the lack of agreement in the Senate between Democrats and Republicans.
Grice says they're working as hard as they can to stay afloat.
"People automatically assume when you get a SNAP that you're just lazy, you're just sitting in a house collecting benefits off of taxpayers,” he explained. “But we are taxpayers. Do they have to understand that? You know, it's hard, especially when you have a big family is hard just to get a gallon of milk that's now like $5, like it's ridiculous.”
She says earlier this week, her family received a letter saying their Section 8 housing may not be funded in December if the government doesn't reopen.
"I'm really nervous," she said.
On Tuesday, Gov. Josh Stein announced the state will distribute $10 million to food banks across North Carolina as they brace for a surge in need. Several major donors like the David and Nicole Tepper Foundation, Smithfield Foods and AmeriHealth Caritas, also have donated to the cause.
Last year, SNAP provided assistance to 41 million people, nearly two-thirds of whom were families with children.
"A lot of people there aren't as fortunate to me that can go to work and have a way to at least try to get some food,” Grice said. “Some people just they don't have it, and they need a place where they can they know they can go and get a meal, at least for a couple of days.”
The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services is urging people who depend on SNAP to continue applying and renewing benefits as normal. Any funds already loaded onto EBT cards remain available.
Residents can check their balance through the ebtEDGE app, online at ebtEDGE.com, or by calling the number on the back of their card.
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