Starting Nov. 1, SNAP benefits, formerly known as food stamps, will be paused because of the government shutdown, leaving thousands of people in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, without the assistance they rely on to buy groceries.

For Barbara Simpson from Ridley Park, that means an even greater dependence on Loaves and Fishes Food Pantry, which operates out of Prospect Hill Baptist Church in Prospect Park.

"This food pantry is awesome," Simpson said. "They're very nice here. You get dairy here, you get meats here, canned goods and extras."

Simpson said she receives about $250 a month in SNAP benefits, but now she'll have to cover that cost herself. 

"It's a scary thing," she said. "We depend on those benefits. It's going to be a really big strain because that's money that I would use to pay my credit card bills, so those are going to go to the side."

The shutdown is putting additional pressure on food pantries across the county.

The Rev. Christopher Heisey-Terrell, who runs Loaves and Fishes, said more people are showing up in need, but support from the state and federal government has diminished.

"We're supposed to serve more people and want to do that, but we don't have as much food to put on the shelves," Heisey-Terrell said.

Shelves that were once full are now nearly empty. Pantry volunteers said food is going out faster than they can restock, and on Tuesday, the pantry even had to turn people away.

For Christina McIntyre from Glenolden, the SNAP pause means difficult decisions between bills and food.

"I'm upset because I'm worried about whether I can provide for me and my son and if enough food is going to last us till the end of the month," McIntyre said.

Simpson shares that concern.

"The people in Congress are getting their paycheck, but we're not getting our benefits," Simpson said. "That's not right."

Until the government reopens, Simpson said she'll continue to lean on her faith and her community to get by.