LOS ANGELES (KABC) — As millions of Californians face the possibility of losing their SNAP benefits due to the government shutdown, volunteers and the California National Guard are stepping in to help.

The Los Angeles Regional Food Bank saw a burst of energy Thursday as volunteers and the National Guard packed boxes with fresh food.

“This is a disaster type of situation for us here in Los Angeles County, throughout the state of California, and throughout the country,” said L.A. Regional Food Bank CEO Michael Flood.

Attorney General Rob Bonta visited the food bank Thursday, days after announcing a lawsuit over cuts to SNAP.

On Tuesday, he and Gov. Gavin Newsom announced that California, along with over 20 other states, is suing the Trump administration over the alleged unlawful refusal to fund SNAP benefits.

The lawsuit claims the Department of Agriculture (USDA) has approximately $6 billion that should be used to pay for benefits in November.

“The law is clear that the federal government has a legal obligation to provide SNAP payments to those who meet program eligibility requirements,” said Bonta. “It’s also clear that USDA can’t suspend SNAP benefits without first spending the money it has available, which it has not done.”

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Meanwhile, over at Christy’s Foundation in Northridge, people waited in long lines to get food early Thursday morning, with some lining up as early as 3 a.m.

“People are scared,” said founder Christy Dawson. “People are wondering if I’m going to shut down. Nope, I’m here, and if I need to be here next week, I’ll be here so no one will go hungry as long as Christy’s Foundation is around.”

The L.A. Regional Food Bank will be hosting a drive-thru food distribution event on Saturday in Inglewood at the Kia Forum from 10 a.m. – 1 p.m.

“Let’s solve this issue, let’s make sure that the government can run people can get fed,” said Flood.

For more information on Saturday’s event, click here.

Judge questions the Trump administration’s plan to suspend SNAP benefits for millions

A federal judge in Boston on Thursday seemed skeptical of the Trump’s administration’s argument that SNAP benefits could be suspended for the first time in the food aid program’s history because of the government shutdown.

During a hearing over a request by 25 Democratic-led states to keep the funding flowing, U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani told lawyers that if the government can’t afford to cover the cost, there’s a process to follow rather than simply suspending all benefits.

“The steps involve finding an equitable way of reducing benefits,” said Talwani, who was nominated to the court by then-President Barack Obama.

Talwani said she expects to issue a ruling later Thursday and seemed to be leaning toward requiring the government to put billions of dollars in emergency funds toward SNAP.

That, she said, is her interpretation of what Congress intended when an agency’s funding runs out.

“If you don’t have money, you tighten your belt,” she said in court. “You are not going to make everyone drop dead because it’s a political game someplace.”

Talwani acknowledged that even ordering emergency funds to pay for SNAP might still be painful for some SNAP recipients because it could mean they get less money and that the money they do get could be delayed.

“We are dealing with a reality that absent a 100% win for you, the benefits aren’t going to be there on Nov. 1,” she told the plaintiffs.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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