As the government shutdown extends into its second month, the effects are expected to snowball for more and more residents.
Consider Iolan Rheta Colston, a single mother of four children, ages 8 to 15.
Colston, who has been unable to work for the past four years because she suffers from lupus and a host of other health ailments, receives SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) benefits from the state, to the tune of $760 a month.
However, since SNAP funding comes from the United States Department of Agriculture one of the agencies affected by the shutdown the SNAP funding is in question.