Maine residents and businesses are chipping in to help local anti-hunger organizations and food pantries prepare for an influx of hungry Mainers who are expected to lose Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits if the government shutdown continues into November.

Maine officials announced last week that the federal government has warned them that it will not be distributing SNAP benefits, previously called food stamps, to states next month. SNAP is simultaneously undergoing record cuts stemming from the One Big Beautiful Bill that Republicans passed in July.

The average monthly SNAP benefit for a family of four in Maine is $572. Forty-two million Americans use SNAP, including 169,812 Mainers — 12.5% of the state’s population — according to the Maine Department of Health and Human Services.

Between the ongoing shutdown, the SNAP cuts, the looming lack of November food stamps and the rising cost of groceries, some food banks and pantries say they’re already seeing an increase in demand between 20% and 40%.

So, how are Mainers answering the call — and how can you lend a hand, too?

VOLUNTEERS AND DONATIONS

Pantries in Greater Portland are seeing an increase in demand for their services but are also reporting an increase in community support.

The Locker Project, a South Portland-based organization that partners with public schools across the region to provide meals for children and their families, is already feeling the love.

“We have definitely seen an uptick in community members who want to help out and make sure our neighbors all have the nourishing food they need,” Executive Director Kathryn Sargent said. “It’s a testament to the kind of community this is, and we so appreciate it.”

Dwayne Hopkins, executive director of the South Portland Food Cupboard, said his pantry is already facing a 20% increase in recipients but is garnering more volunteers and donations, both in the form of food and money.

Hopkins is confident his pantry can absorb that heightened demand with the community’s help — at least for now.

“We’re doing our best to be able to provide at least some food to anyone who is coming,” he said. “We’re waiting to see how everything shakes out.”

Preble Street in Portland is also seeing more volunteers and donors.

“People are looking for a way to support their neighbors who are faced with a great challenge, choosing between rent, medicine and food,” said Ali Lovejoy, the vice president of mission advancement at Preble Street.

Chipping in whatever you can is helpful, Sargent said, but regular financial donations make a huge difference.

“Steady donor support helps the most,” she said. “We are encouraging those with the means to become monthly donors and help provide the necessary resources all year.”

BUSINESSES ANSWERING THE CALL

Most pantries work with grocers, big and small, to “rescue” surplus food that would otherwise be tossed out. Now, they’re relying on those relationships to help them meet the rising demand.

Other businesses are also answering the call.

Taj Cuisine in South Portland, for example, announced on social media this week that it would be providing meals for those in need, stating, “No one in our community should ever go without a warm meal or a caring hand.”

Third Space Market in Gorham has signed on as a drop-off location for the Gorham Food Pantry, making it easier for people to donate food.

Third Space and the Gorham pantry are also working with Magno Terra Cafe in Yarmouth to provide frozen meals that can be delivered to those in need, the market said in a social media post Friday.

NEW PROJECT UNVEILED

Preble Street launched its new Food Security Hub in South Portland on Friday, which the nonprofit says could eventually produce as many as 10,000 meals per day to be frozen and delivered to pantries and shelters throughout the state.

The project has long been in the works, and the initial plan was to grow slowly by working to deliver meals to only a few entities to start.

“We had seen it as a slower, more methodical process,” Lovejoy said. “Now, we’re going into a mode to see how quickly we can ramp up, how soon we can get frozen meals out the door.”

FILLING THE GAPS

With food flying off their shelves, pantries always have specific items they’re short of.

For instance, the South Portland Food Cupboard is most in need of peanut butter, apple and grape jelly, and shelf-stable milk, Hopkins said on Friday.

“I encourage folks to reach out to their local food cupboards and pantries to see what they need,” he said.

If you need help finding your nearest food pantry, Good Shepherd Food Bank has an interactive map on its website at gsfb.org/food-map that includes dozens across the state.

ENDING THE SHUTDOWN

While local organizations can act as a bridge, they can’t absorb all of the nearly 170,000 Mainers who rely on SNAP benefits, Lovejoy said.

“SNAP is the most powerful resource, the most powerful tool, we have against hunger in Maine and across the country,” Lovejoy said. “No ramping up of food pantries is going to be able to take its place.”

Sargent also sees it as a mammoth task, noting that SNAP benefits provide nine times as many meals as the charitable food system, she said.

“It’s important that people understand the scale of the potential problem we face,” she said.

The challenge being confronted by millions of Americans is caused by the government shutdown, Hopkins said, and people can support their neighbors by calling or writing to their elected representatives.

“Reach out to government officials,” Hopkins said. “Go to the source and fix the source. Right now, we’re just treating the symptoms.”

As lawmakers in Washington cast partisan blame for the shutdown, organizations are readying themselves to help Mainers weather the storm — and it’s all hands on deck.

“We’re going to do as much as we can to feed as many people as we can,” Lovejoy said.