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Food Shelves Fret That Shutdown Threatens Supply

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- The Minnesota government shutdown is threatening delivery of tons of food to pantries statewide.

Colleen Moriarty, executive director of Hunger Solutions Minnesota, says some 700,000 pounds of food from a federal program are due for delivery in the next two months. Moriarty says that depends on a single state employee who can work in a certain data management program.

She'll go before a special master next week to ask that the employee be declared essential.

Nearly 950,000 more pounds of food already in warehouses can't be distributed during the shutdown. Rob Zeaske is executive director of Second Harvest Heartland, which distributes food to programs in 41 counties.

Zeaske says the food includes staples like applesauce, green beans, ground beef and chicken.

(© Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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