As the new month approaches, Community Action Services and Food Bank Chief Impact Officer Jessica Miller said the need remains high.

“We haven’t gotten any big donations from any one particular group or person,” Miller said Thursday. “We definitely need more donations. We still have our call for donations out.”

The Utah Department of Workforce Services said Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, payments will not be issued in November due to the government shutdown. According to Community Action, 11,800 households in Utah, Wasatch and Summit counties are supported by SNAP.

“The delay in SNAP benefits because of the government shutdown is really going to be impacting so many families who are working, many children. It’s going to be impacting seniors who are on fixed incomes,” Miller said.

The food bank said if one-third of households losing benefits turn to its food network for assistance, its daily distribution will increase to 26,600 pounds.

“With a large number of new families who are now going to be needing help, we’ll need a new influx of food to meet that need,” Miller said.

Community Action is reaching out to local candidates for the upcoming municipal election to see if they will include food drives at their events, according to Miller. She said they’re working on having food barrels at polling locations as well.

Utah County also announced a food drive from Thursday until Dec. 20, asking people to drop items off at county offices, Community Action in Provo, or one of Tabitha’s Way’s three locations in Pleasant Grove, Spanish Fork and Saratoga Springs.