As the federal government shutdown continues through the beginning of November, Gov. Josh Shapiro has activated an emergency relief plan to support food banks and families after SNAP benefits were suspended for nearly two million Pennsylvanians.

Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro has declared a disaster emergency amid the looming SNAP benefits crisis. Shapiro is directing $5 million to Feeding Pennsylvania immediately to help distribute through its network of food banks across the state.

It is the second foray by Ms. Garrity into using her office's financial clout to step in when other functions of government are coming up short.

The donations came from community members who ordered extra on Instacart and had it delivered. Instacart waived fees for those deliveries.

Meals on Wheels and the state's Department of Agriculture would also receive money under the proposed hunger relief program.

Across the country, there are over 41 million people enrolled in the federal government’s Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program, known as SNAP. But how many of those receive SNAP benefits in Pennsylvania and New Jersey alone?

Some SNAP users have been getting calls saying that their benefits are on hold until they can verify their eligibility. The