PHOENIX — Arizona families who rely on federal food assistance woke up this morning to find their monthly benefits missing, the result of a government funding lapse that left SNAP accounts empty to start the month.

Nearly one million Arizonans depend on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to help put food on the table. With those benefits delayed, Valley volunteers wasted no time stepping in.

At St. Vincent de Paul, what’s normally a twice-monthly food drive became an emergency operation. Dozens of volunteers organized a last-minute distribution Saturday morning to feed hundreds of cars and families lined up down the block.

“Seeing the smiles on people’s faces is the highlight. It’s the icing on the cake. It’s why I volunteer, seeing people appreciate what we do for them, and they’re very grateful,” Sabeen Chamoun, a volunteer, said.

Joseph Cribb, one of the people receiving food, said he applied for SNAP for the first time two months ago.

“You can go from having everything to having nothing, and they did award me food stamps, which I was very grateful for,” Cribb said.

But when his benefits didn’t arrive, Cribb turned to the community for help.

“When you find yourself on the other end of that, I don’t know, we all need each other,” Cribb said.

At Solano Elementary School, another food drive was set up to help families.

“Us coming together, it just helps to ease that burden,” said volunteer Aurelia Valencia

Organizers say their drive, and others happening around the Valley, is proof that when the safety net falters, Arizona neighbors step up.

“We want to demonstrate that when the government shuts down, when SNAP gets taken, that community shows up for one another,” Alejandra Gomez with the Arizona Center for Empowerment said.

If you or someone you know needs help, ABC15 has compiled a list of free and discounted food resources across the state.