Recently, I spent time at a soup kitchen in Allentown. It was packed – the biggest crowd they’d seen in months.

Families are struggling to feed their kids because Ryan Mackenzie and Republicans in Washington shut down the government and let SNAP benefits lapse.

I know how hard families work to fight hunger. In the early 2000s, I ran a food pantry in northern New Jersey. I saw the sacrifices parents made by skipping meals so their kids could eat. I saw how programs like SNAP can make a difference.

This didn’t have to happen. And Ryan Mackenzie refuses to come back to the table and do his job.

I’m calling on Ryan Mackenzie to end the shutdown and protect essential services – and I need your voice next to mine.

Will you add your name to demand that Ryan Mackenzie get back to work and show up for his constituents?

– Carol