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MIAMI – Federal funding cuts have impacted food banks and food pantries that address food insecurity in underserved communities.

With so many mouths to feed, the Salvation Army of Broward County is asking the community to help refill supplies for families struggling to cover household food costs.

According to the organization, several shelves remained empty for about a month.

“On a monthly basis, we are serving at least a thousand households,” said David Hayton, Director of Development at the Salvation Army of Broward County.

Hayton said hundreds of families depend on the Salvation Army for meals.

About a month ago, they received an email stating that the U.S. Department of Agriculture had canceled several truckloads of food, which meant a reduction of the number of deliveries from Farm Share, Florida’s largest independent food bank.

Hayton said that in April, they only received one shipment, and that this past week they had to pay about $13,000 out of pocket to keep up with the demand.