Food pantries across the Tri-State Area are the only thing keeping some people from going hungry during the government shutdown.

The end of the shutdown could bring some relief for those who rely on SNAP benefits, commonly known as food stamps, but local nonprofits say the past few weeks have put a spotlight on how many people are in need.

"We have a lot of hungry people in our communities"

Food pantries have seen massive increases in demand since the shutdown started 43 days ago.

CUMAC in Paterson, New Jersey, has expanded hours to let more people in, and is hitting up donors for more cash and food.

"It has been hectic. I think that probably sums it all up. It's just the uncertainty about whether or not people were going to be able to feed their families," CEO Jessica Padilla Gonzalez said.

Padilla Gonzalez said the news that the shutdown might soon be over offers some hope.

"But I think that it's important for us not to forget that there are so many food-insecure families, right?" she said. "Again, this is an opportunity to shine the light that we have a lot of hungry people in our communities, and we need to do something about it."

Until SNAP benefits return, food pantries will try to keep up.

"I would love to be working"

After a lifetime of hard work, Giles Brown says a severe spine injury has left him unable to earn a living. Now, he depends on SNAP benefits. However, with those benefits frozen, he has been turning more and more to local food pantries, like CUMAC. 

"I'm not in this position because I want to be, under any circumstances. I would love to be working and doing as good as everybody else out there on Capitol Hill," Brown said.

Brown knows there's a stigma around people who need a little help, but he has a message for anyone who may be hesitant to seek it out.

"A lot of those people who tell their success stories coming from rags to riches, remember when you was at rags. Remember that part of it," he said.