In two days, half a million Nevadans will lose access to SNAP food benefits as a result of the government shutdown. Thursday, state leaders moved forward with a plan to provide food for them through local food banks.

Three Square Food Bank is expanding emergency relief efforts as families across Southern Nevada face food insecurity, stepping up to help those in need and offering ways you can help as well.

The Reno-Sparks Gospel mission provides free meals to homeless or food insecure people in Northern Nevada. Its staff prepares as many as 1,300 meals each day and serves breakfast and dinner to any individual or family off the streets, and provides groceries to hundreds of people each week.

As the federal shutdown continues, Nevada officials are rolling out a large-scale plan to make sure no family goes hungry.Governor Joe Lombardo’s office release

The Nevada Legislature’s Interim Finance Committee has approved moving $30 million from its contingency account to the Food Insecurity Nevada Plan, which will support the state’s food banks amid the federal government’s ongoing shutdown

The money will boost access to food at pantries statewide, but some legislators want to send cash directly to affected Nevadans instead.

Three Square food bank responds to the SNAP funding halt in Nevada, organizing emergency food distributions for impacted families, with UNLV and Congresswoman Dina Titus contributing to the efforts.

Some 42 million recipients of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits will have to wait for them to be restored after losing them on Saturday.