The government shutdown reached its 27th day, and the USDA warned that SNAP benefits will end if the shutdown continues. More than 100,000 people in Rochester rely on SNAP, according to a state report from July.

Starting in November, local officials said the shutdown will delay federally funded food assistance received by tens of thousands of local residents, including children and seniors on fixed incomes.

The government shutdown went into effect Oct. 1 after the U.S. Congress was unable to pass the appropriations bills that fund operations of federal agencies and programs. Now, if Congress fails to pass the spending bill before Nov. 1, SNAP will lose funding.

On a chilly Thursday morning dozens of vehicles began to line up in the parking lot of Wheeling Island Hotel-Casino-Racetrack, the drivers patiently waiting for what they were about to receive. They weren’t there to gamble,