MAHONING VALLEY, Ohio - For families who rely on federal programs, the biggest concern and question is how long the shutdown will last and if those benefits will be impacted.

Audrey Morales, the director of Mahoning County Jobs and Family Services, stated that SNAP and Ohio Works First benefits will remain available for now.

"We will continue to process the applications. We will continue to make sure that people receive their benefits through the month of October," Morales said. 

Twenty-one thousand households in Mahoning County use SNAP benefits. Morales mentioned that if the shutdown continues beyond October, it is unclear what will happen to those benefits.

"Until then, Mahoning County Jobs and Family Services will continue to do what we're doing. Our workers will be here to process cases, answer questions for our clients with any concerns. We just ask that when they make their application that they will make sure all of their documents are in so that we can get their cases done as soon as possible," Morales said. 

At the Second Harvest Food Bank, Executive Director Mike Iberis noted that they anticipated the shutdown and prepared accordingly.

"We saw the thunderstorms, we were reading, we were watching that potentially there was going to be a shutdown. The key to us is to be prepared," Iberis said. 

He mentioned that they have enough inventory to last for two months. Additionally, he stated that 29% of the food bank's inventory is sourced from the USDA.

 "There's not going to be a shortage here. We think that the food bank is prepared to make sure that our pantries and all the people that are in need in three counties are going to have food," Iberis said