Experts say food insecurity is the first challenge federal workers and people who rely on Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits will face during the federal government shutdown.

They say the effects of a prolonged shutdown will ripple out even to grocery stores and the local economy.

"You have to think of food in the context of all the other expenses that people have," said Luke Shaefer, professor of public policy at the University of Michigan.

Shaefer said the challenge isn't just getting food on the table. Other expenses, and especially unexpected ones, will hurt even more.

"Maybe they're going to shift some of the money they spend on rent to food. So for some families, it's going to show up as them falling behind on their rent. If it goes for a long time, I think we might see an increase in evictions," he said. "It's going to ripple through whole communities."

On Thursday, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services said that the U.S. Department of Agriculture asked state officials to temporarily pause November food benefits for roughly 1.4 million residents until further notice.

According to state health officials, nearly 13% of Michigan households receive NSAP benefits.

For federal workers in Michigan who have been furloughed, the state Unemployment Insurance Agency has resources available.

"We have things like links to the Pure Michigan Talent Connect, job board, the Workforce Development Services, Michigan Reconnect scholarship program, and then of course, other community resources like links to the MI Bridges or links to utility help," said Nick Assendelft, communications manager of the UIA.

Assendelft said workers who receive money from the state should be prepared to pay it back if they receive back pay when the federal government reopens. In the meantime, Assendelft said the UIA is a good place to start.

"It's a stressful time, obviously, for anybody who is out of work or loses a job, whether it's furlough or whether it's a shutdown or whether it's actually being let go. So we hope that this web page resource will take some of the stress out of out of that process," he said.

Michigan experts warn of rise in food insecurity amid federal government shutdown