On Tuesday afternoon, Biddeford Food Pantry saw over 200 families walk through the door. It was the highest number on record, Director Don Bisson said, and it’s directly related to families losing their Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits due to the government shutdown.

“It was just crazy,” Bisson said. “It was our biggest day ever. This is impacting us in a very big way.”

Just down the road, Saco Food Pantry President John White was noticing a similar increase in patrons.

“People are showing up because SNAP benefits were part of their income,” White said. “The effect is horrendous on people. I can’t imagine.”

With the biggest cuts in history to the SNAP program going into effect Nov. 1, Mainers are struggling more than ever, and food pantries are scrambling to keep up.

“We spend $6,500 a week on food, and by Wednesday, we don’t have any food left,” Bisson said. “We can’t afford it.”

In Biddeford alone, over 1,500 children are affected by the SNAP benefits cut, Mayor Martin Grohman said.

And that number doesn’t account for the even higher number of adults impacted.

“It’s my goal to make sure that no child goes hungry, not one,” Grohman said. “I am planning a response (to the SNAP cut).”

At Saco Food Pantry, White is also most concerned about the impact the cut will have on children who rely on food stamps to eat.

“My big concern was the kids. They have to suffer because people can’t get along,” White said. “That’s what I don’t like.”

It’s not just the SNAP cuts that will affect Saco families, White said, but the government shutdown as well.

To help combat a lack of paychecks for those employed by the government, White invites government employees to visit the Saco Food Pantry, regardless of where they live.

“I don’t care where they’re from,” White said. “As long as they show their government employee identification, we’ll help them out.”

Amid rising costs and a lack of donations, both food pantries in the twin cities are doing their best to meet their community’s needs.

Each week, Biddeford Food Pantry hands out not only bags of food, but a whole banana box full of fresh produce, frozen meat, dairy products, eggs, and bread to families, along with canned goods, pasta, rice and other necessary items.

It’s not cheap to provide the help, and the pantry pays out of pocket.

“It’s pretty significant what we give them. Multiply that by over 200, it’s enormous,” Bisson said. “If other businesses want to do food drives for us, we would really accept that.”

According to White, Saco Food Pantry’s costs are also rising, with the pantry spending almost $10,000 per month to feed nearly 9,000 families, even before SNAP benefits end in November.

“Donations are way down,” White said. “Anything will help.”

With the holidays approaching, the pantries are seeking donations of turkeys for Thanksgiving, hams for Christmas, and anything else that people would be willing to give.

“Please give generously this year,” Bisson said. “The need is more than ever. If you can’t give, then donate your time. We need volunteers.”

And if all else fails, “please pray for us,” Bisson said.