Your neighbors might soon need extra assistance putting food on the table. Amidst the ongoing government shutdown, it is vital to support hunger relief for SNAP recipients in your community.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture planned on Nov. 1 to begin freezing food aid payments used by about 1 in 8 Americans for groceries. A cornerstone of the nation’s social safety net, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program was said to be out of funds as the government shutdown entered its second month.

Though two federal judges ruled simultaneously on Friday that the program must be kept going with contingency money, some experts estimate that even a one-month pause would plunge nearly 3 million low-income recipients into poverty. The charitable food system, already strained by the rising cost of living and Trump administration aid cuts, has braced all week for an overwhelming surge from the 42 million people who rely on SNAP.

Regardless of how SNAP funding shakes out, philanthropy can’t fill the growing gap. Food banks, pantries and other nonprofits maintain they are equipped to be the last resort — not the essential service many feel they’ve been impossibly tasked with providing.

But they say you can still ease hardship in your community. Here’s how:

To Support Hunger Relief for SNAP Recipients, Donate Money to Your Local Food Bank — and Volunteer

You can search for nearby food aid groups by entering your ZIP code on https://www.findhelp.org or Feeding America ‘s website.

Donation preferences will vary but most food banks say that cash is more helpful than canned goods. They know which products are needed most in their area and can stretch every dollar to buy them at cheaper prices. Monetary donations also give flexibility to purchase culturally relevant products and special dietary foods that don’t often show up in their donation streams.

Because they spend so much money buying food, many wholesalers offer them deeper discounts and even donated items. For example, Island Harvest President Randi Shubin Dresner said her food bank spends about $7 million annually on food purchases. They recently bought large enough quantities that the distributor then donated 25,000 pounds of peanut butter.

Read the full article about supporting SNAP recipients in your community by James Pollard at AP News.