Promises of partial payments for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits were coming from the White House on Monday.

SNAP, which provides food aid to 440,000 Minnesotans and 42 million Americans, ran out of money this weekend because of the government shutdown.

At Groveland Emergency Food Shelf in Minneapolis, food shelf anxiety about losing SNAP benefits is high. Hanna Tekle is eight months pregnant, with another child at home.

"I am a little worried about being cut off. I am worried about tomorrow, if I am going to get it or not," Tekle said.

At a St. Paul community center, Democratic U.S. Rep. Betty McCollum of Minnesota and Attorney General Keith Ellison met with SNAP recipients, including a cancer survivor who says it's hard to admit he needs the help. 

"It's a shame. None of us, none of us want to be on it, and while I am on it now, I definitely do not plan to be on it for the rest of my life," SNAP recipient Mateo Halbaslaven said.

Ellison and 22 other attorneys general won in two federal courts last week, with Judges saying SNAP benefits must be continued. 

"We will fight them every day in the court. If they don't comply with the la,w we will bring motions for the court to find them in contempt," Ellison said.

While some in the Trump administration say benefits could restart as soon as this Wednesday, the uncertainty is stressful for both the clients and the food shelves.

"By it being so close to Thanksgiving, I don't think that the government should be playing with people. We poor. We need this type [of] help," Food stamp recipient Theophilus Hayes said.

Food shelf manager Sharon Abel also hasn't heard when the promised $5,000 in emergency funding from the state will come.

"The bottom line is that I don't have the money. Thankfully, people have been generous and we have donations so that we can keep spending. Two, three, $4,000 a month over our food budget," Abel said.

State officials told WCCO that the emergency funding for food shelves will come in "early November."