Long Islanders who receive SNAP benefits are turning to food pantries amid the government shutdown. The food assistance payments have been delayed, and when they do arrive, they’re expected to only be a portion of what they normally are.

Markus Dupont, operations manager at Gerald J. Ryan Outreach Center in Wyandanch, said he’s never seen anything like the current demand.

He told News 12 that people are “panicking.”

“You just see the desperation more. You see the need for help in their eyes, in their tonality and everything," said Dupont.

“Our community is in chaos right now," said Keith Scott, president and CEO of Pronto of Long Island in Bay Shore.

Scott told News 12 that people are confused about their benefits.

“People are hungry. People are fearful. People are scared,” Scott said.