EL MONTE, Calif. (KABC) — Millions of people depending on SNAP food benefits are back in limbo this weekend after a late-night ruling by the Supreme Court. Now, local food banks are coming to the rescue.<\/p>\n
Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson temporarily paused<\/a> a lower court’s ruling that required the Trump administration to fully fund the program for the month in a late-night order.<\/p>\n The pause will give the administration more time to appeal the order.<\/p>\n A Supreme Court justice temporarily paused a lower court’s ruling requiring the Trump administration to fully fund SNAP for the month of November by the end of the day Friday.<\/p>\n At least 5 million SNAP recipients in California have already received their November benefits<\/a>, but others are still waiting.<\/p>\n One by one, hundreds of cars stopped by a drive-thru food distribution event at the San Gabriel Valley Airport on Saturday morning.<\/p>\n “Frozen chicken, as well as canned fruits, vegetables. I saw yogurt,” said Victoria Lasavach with the L.A. Regional Food Bank about the items available at the event.<\/p>\n “I heard about this drive-thru and said, ‘I’m coming down here to stock some extra food in my fridge so I can make ends meet, you know, put food in the tummy,'” said Jaime Bernal from El Monte.<\/p>\n Putting food on the table is a huge concern for nearly 40 million Americans across the country who rely on SNAP benefits amid the disruption in funding for the program.<\/p>\n “It’s a lot of stress. It’s bad,” said Erika Alvarez from El Monte. “Everybody’s struggling, not just myself. There’s a lot of single moms out there with kids.”<\/p>\n On Saturday morning, the L.A. Regional Food Bank, in partnership with L.A. County and District 1 Supervisor Hilda Solis, held a massive food distribution event in El Monte and another in Pico Rivera.<\/p>\n At the El Monte location, more than 4,000 boxes of food were handed out to families in need.<\/p>\n “We’re coming into the holidays and a lot of people are looking in their pocketbooks and not seeing a lot of money, quite frankly, so this comes in at a very appropriate time for many families,” Solis said.<\/p>\n With the legal battle to fund SNAP benefits still unfolding, millions of Americans are caught in the middle.<\/p>\n “It’s crazy because I checked this morning, and I still don’t have funds, so I don’t know when. Trump’s gotta stop all this,” Alvarez said.<\/p>\n Across town at the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza, over 1,000 families also received food help on Saturday.<\/p>\n SEE ALSO: End hunger in California: How to help those in need in your community<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n “People are starving out there. They’re hungry. They are embarrassed. This is a blessing for the community,” said recipient Monica Turney.<\/p>\n Amid all of the uncertainty, Eyewitness News spoke to people who are doing their best to stay positive.<\/p>\n “No matter what happens, you still gotta keep moving forward,” said Henrey Bernal from El Monte.<\/p>\n If you’d like to volunteer or donate, head to LAFoodBank.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n