As the sun slowly makes its daily retreat and the evening sky becomes soft and gray, “Nelda” (not her real name) is watching her three young sons play in their west Turlock neighborhood. The boys are taking turns riding a bike and a hoverboard, which leaves one to be a pedestrian.

Funny, but the momentary pedestrian, regardless of which boy it is, always seems to complain that his brothers aren’t sharing.

When other neighborhood kids join in, sharing becomes an even trickier issue.

Nelda doesn’t intervene, though. She lets the boys work out the problem on their own, like a mini United Nations. Complaints take a backseat to diplomacy and negotiation.

It’s obvious that Nelda’s tykes are working up quite an appetite. And that’s the real issue here — she has to provide meals for three growing boys at a time when Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits have been cut off due to the federal government shutdown.

It’s not an easy problem to solve.

President Donald Trump’s administration said Monday that it will partially fund SNAP for November, after two judges issued rulings requiring the government to keep the nation’s largest food aid program running. It’s unclear when benefits will be restored, though some recipients have reported they’ve received partial benefits.

“Being a single mom and not being able to work due to both twins having autism, I had to leave my recent place of employment,” said Nelda, who was allowed to use a pseudonym so that she would feel more comfortable telling her story. “I’m also a student at Modesto Junior College, studying chemical dependency. I want to be a certified drug and alcohol counselor. But not being able to work, I’m real panicky.”

Nelda has battled her own addiction — she’ll be two years sober later this month — and has a criminal past. The boys’ father is in prison, and her 19-year-old son from a previous relationship recently moved out of the house. 

She’s trying to put her life together … and keep her family intact.

She attends services at Westside Ministries and received a box of food on Wednesday that will help feed her 6-year-old twins and her 4-year-old.

“Right now, I’m trying to stock up,” said Nelda. “I’ve never had my babies hurt for food, and I don’t ever want them to go through that experience. It’s a very hard situation.”

Westside Ministries, 950 Columbia Ave. in Turlock, prepared 100 boxes of food — containing cereal, pasta, peanut butter, rice, fresh fruit and vegetables, canned goods, and other staples — and gave away nearly 70 of them during a steady drizzle on Wednesday.

“We have no politician friends, we have no wealthy relatives, we have no one,” said Jolynn DeGrazia, pastor at Westside Ministries. “We went into debt $800 today. So, are we going to do it next week? We hope to. But how? I don’t know. I just don’t know.”

Westside Ministries already provides 600-700 free dinners for children each Monday through Thursday.

“We can’t feed the homeless,” said DeGrazia. “Other organizations take care of that. We feed those who fall through the cracks.”

Other groups and nonprofits have stepped up to make up for the shortfall created by the shutdown.

In just about 48 hours, the Stanislaus Community Foundation has helped secure more than $300,000, and committed to leveraging up to $50,000 more in matching funds — already receiving $20,000 in matches.

“We felt moved to take a leadership role and bring everybody to the table,” said Melissa Van Diepen, chief philanthropy officer for the Community Foundation, which worked with other county agencies to raise money and collect grocery gift cards. “This effort speaks to the power of the collective. There are so many people who care about other people in our community.”

Legacy Health Endowment of Turlock sent $50,000 to Community Health Centers of America’s Gustine clinic, and another $50,000 to Livingston Community Health’s Delhi clinic, so those battling food insecurity will not have to choose between food and health care.

“Hopefully, we can provide a bit of security to folks who are dealing with a tremendous amount of uncertainty,” said Jeffrey Lewis, president and CEO of Legacy Health Endowment. 

The Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors, meanwhile, will vote Nov. 18 whether to give $50,000 to local food banks to help meet demand.

In the meantime, Nelda hopes that her benefits card will be replenished — even partially — to help bridge the gap until politicians in the nation’s capital can figure out how to end the shutdown.

“I don’t think politicians care because they just don’t understand,” said Nelda, who pauses briefly to tell the boys to get on the sidewalk as a car turns onto their street. “I was once that person. I didn’t understand until things became a struggle for me. They don’t know what it feels like to be a mother who has to worry about how she’s going to feed her children. They don’t get it.”