Food banks and food pantries across Illinois and in the Chicago area need the public's help more than ever as they brace for a massive surge in demand when SNAP benefits lapse Saturday.

The ongoing government shutdown has resulted in the first lapse in food stamp benefits in the nation's history. Though the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, known as SNAP, has a contingency fund for emergency situations like the shutdown, the USDA has opted not to use it and instead suspend benefits for more than 40 million Americans starting on Nov. 1.

RESOURCES: Where to find food and help in the Chicago area as SNAP benefits lapse

Gov. JB Pritzker issued an executive order directing $20 million to food banks like the Greater Chicago Food Depository to help them distribute more meals across cook county. Nearly 2 million Illinois residents are SNAP participants and more than 900,000 of them are in Cook County.

Food pantries around the city have said they're breaking records when it comes to the amount of food they're giving out, and to meet that demand they said they need your help. 

"We need more funds right now to buy more food," said Man-Yee Lee, director of communications for the Greater Chicago Food Depository. "Our pantries need help with serving the influx of guests that we are expecting, and also we need everybody to let our elected leaders know that SNAP is not negotiable."

Margaret O'Conor, executive director of Chicago's Common Pantry, said demand has been so high they've had to turn away more than 30 people.

"We only have so much food we can provide, so we do our best to fill all the gaps that are happening right now, but we cannot food pantry our way out of this situation," she said. 

The Food Depository is increasing distribution at six high-demand locations through November. If SNAP benefits aren't renewed they said they expect demand to keep climbing as the holiday season approaches. 

Two federal judges ruled Friday the Trump administration must tap into contingency funds to pay for SNAP benefits during the government shutdown, and instruct the administration to report back to them by Monday. For people like Rajja Reed, a content creator who relies on his monthly food stamps, the wait to see if they'll get their benefits is excruciating.

"I haven't even got the notification for this month saying that they were going to be sending it to us," Reed said. He usually receives his SNAP benefits on the 10th of the month.

The uncertainty led him to Nourishing Hope Food Pantry on Sheridan for the first time.

"I've never been in this space, and this is new for everybody because we're all experiencing it," he said. "Everybody's going through this. So we just have to collect ourselves and get ourselves together."

You can donate monetarily to food banks like the Greater Chicago Food Depository on their website. You should also check the website of your local food bank or food pantry to find guidelines on donations of perishable and non-perishable foods.