MAHONING & SHENANGO VALLEYS - As food pantries prepare for the holidays, there is another potential spike looming. 

SNAP benefits in Pennsylvania are expected to be put to a halt next month amid the government shutdown. It's a reality that could leave families across the Mahoning Valley at risk just before the holidays. 

Prince of Peace in Mercer County is one of the agencies expected to feel the impact. The nonprofit serves many people who rely on SNAP benefits.

“We offer supplemental food assistance, so what they're getting from us is meant to help bridge that gap where their benefits may fall short before they renew the following month,” said Sarah Worthington, Prince of Peace chief executive officer.

Worthington is not only expecting people to need more food, but also a bigger crowd to show up on food distribution days.

 “If they're not receiving those benefits, what that means for an organization like Prince of Peace, who is the largest food pantry in Mercer County, we are anticipating a very large increase for the number of people seeking food assistance from our organization,” said Worthington. 

If this does happen,  Worthington plans to offer more help.

“Right now, we are operating a once a month Food Pantry distribution. Perhaps we add on another date in the month that we can distribute food. Our soup kitchen operates twice a week every Monday and Wednesday, where we are preparing and serving close to 200 meals each of those days. So 400 meals during the week. Perhaps we need to increase the number of meals that we're going to be serving as well,”

Worthington said while everything is still in the air, the group is making sure they are not only ready for the holidays, but also ready for any potential rise in a need for food.

“We are trying to put the word out about the need, both from a financial standpoint, in order to be able to purchase the food that we're going to need to to meet that increased demand, but also just in kind donations of food items themselves,” said Worthington.

Concerns over  potential SNAP benefit pauses loom over Ohio as well.

Mike Iberis, executive director of the Second Harvest Food Bank Mahoning Valley, said while he is uncertain if there will be a bigger need, he always makes sure they are prepared.

“We want to make sure that this warehouse is full of food and that we can accommodate and where every day we're monitoring our pantry for what they're seeing. We're monitoring their orders, or margin monitoring whether they're ordering a lot more, a lot less or the same,”’ said Iberis.

In Columbiana County the Ohio Department Of Job And Family Services issue approximately $2.3 million in SNAP benefits to 13,000 recipients every month. In Mahoning County, that amount is approximately $7.6 million to 39,500 recipients.

In Trumbull County, around $5.5 million is issued to 30,400 recipients.

Both Prince of Peace and the Second Harvest Food Bank are accepting donations.