Around the crack of dawn, a line begins forming at a strip mall in Hyattsville, Maryland, as residents ranging from students to delivery workers and federal contractors wait to sign up for food assistance.

¡°Right now, it¡¯s a lot ¡ª paying rent, buying food,¡± said Shirleyann Desormeaux, a chef supporting four children in her household.

Even with two incomes, ¡°it¡¯s still not enough,¡± the 58-year-old added.