More than 1 million New York City residents are facing uncertainty with their Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, benefits as the government shutdown continues, leaving many families unsure how they’ll afford their next meal.

In Mott Haven, volunteers are stepping up to fill the gap – serving free, hot meals to neighbors in need.

People crowded Roberto Clemente Plaza on Saturday morning, where steam rose from trays of food served by the volunteer group Boots on the Ground. For some, it’s not just about the meal in front of them — it’s the uncertainty of when the next one will come.

“It’s not easy out here. It’s hard. It’s really hard,” said Rasheed Fayar, who relies on the weekly food giveaway. “It keeps me off the streets. It keeps me from not robbing nobody — not robbing stores — because at this point right now how it’s going, we are about to have no food stamps.”

State data shows more than 1 million New Yorkers rely on SNAP benefits to get by. In The Bronx, the rate is even higher – four out of every 10 residents depend on the program, the highest share of any borough.

“We’re going to have families who really rely on food stamps just to get their basic needs,” said Maddie Marinez, founder of Boots on the Ground. “And it’s not just food stamps — public assistance, too. They rely on that cash just to get basic necessities.”

Boots on the Ground began earlier this year when Marinez started handing out hot oatmeal from a shopping cart. The Bronx native, who served in Afghanistan, said she knows firsthand how easy it is to fall on hard times and need a helping hand.

“Everyone needs a hot meal. I was out here too before, and I know how much this community needs this,” she said.

The group now serves full plates to anyone who shows up, relying entirely on donations and volunteers.

“Everybody deserves a hot meal regardless of what the situation is,” Marinez said.

Boots on the Ground continues to host free breakfast events every Saturday at 149th Street and Third Avenue, hoping to reach even more people in need of a hot meal.

Two federal judges ruled nearly simultaneously on Friday that President Donald Trump’s administration must continue to pay for SNAP, the nation’s biggest food aid program, by using emergency reserve funds during the government shutdown.

The judges in Massachusetts and Rhode Island gave the administration leeway on whether to fund the program partially or in full for November. That also brings uncertainty about how things will unfold and will delay payments for many beneficiaries whose cards would normally be recharged early in the month.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture planned to freeze payments to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program starting Nov. 1 because it said it could no longer keep funding it due to the shutdown. The program serves about 1 in 8 Americans and is a major piece of the nation’s social safety net. It costs about $8 billion per month nationally.