BATON ROUGE - Food stamp administrators across the country have been sent a letter raising concerns that recipients might not receive their SNAP benefits in November.

"We are in discussion with the state about what the alternatives are and possible ways we can address the issue," said Mike Manning, the Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank CEO.

About one in five Louisianians receives food stamp benefits, which is around 850,000 residents who could go without SNAP benefits next month.

Resources like the Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank have experienced high demand most of the year, as more families turn to them for help.

"The real challenge is we don't have a sufficient amount of food to take the place of SNAP benefits," Manning said.

Usually, during disasters and times of food insecurity, food banks are a go-to resource. But due to federal cuts and increased demand, food banks may not be able to adequately support the thousands of families who might need food without SNAP.

"An increase of over 25 percent in the number of clients we have seen month after month just from August to September, which is an indication of the increased demand for us and the increased need throughout the community," Manning stated.

Manning says it's going to be a real challenge, especially since they have seen reductions in federal food programs, and the things they had access to for previous years are not available this year. He says one thing you can do right now to help is to donate food or money.

"Hopefully, the shutdown will not go past Nov. 1, and hopefully it will end early enough so SNAP benefits won't be delayed or hindered in any way. So that's the real concern—what if it doesn't happen, and we have to still replace that SNAP? That’s going to be the true challenge for not just food banks, but the entire state."