Rochester, N.Y. (WHAM) — Laurie Prizel serves as executive director at the Dimitri House, where she tirelessly prepares an increased number of food bags to meet the demands of the busy day ahead.

She says that her food pantry has experienced an unprecedented surge in activity since the recent reduction in SNAP benefits.

"We had a huge influx in March when the SNAP benefits got decreased," Prizel said. "I can tell you on a weekly basis, half of what we have coming in here to our food cupboard are brand new people every week. There's more people coming in that just can't make ends meet anymore."

Concerns are mounting for Prizel, as she anticipates the situation may worsen due to potential additional SNAP requirements proposed in the debt ceiling legislation.

"I think where a lot of the program really struggles is you have to really talk about how many real single, able-bodied working individuals are actually on SNAP benefits in general," said Prizel.

The recently negotiated debt limit deal between President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, which is currently advancing through Congress, includes an expansion of the age range for SNAP recipients. Individuals aged 18-54 will be required to prove their employment or participation in job training, up from the previous range of 18-49.

"I can tell you, from what we serve here in the food cupboard, that those are rare numbers," Prizel said. "If they are, they're usually individuals in their late 50s who have some working issues, may not be able to run out and just get a job tomorrow based on our economic status here."

While some lawmakers argue that the increased work requirements will facilitate employment opportunities, anti-hunger advocates, including Prizel, strongly disagree and believe that these requirements should be completely eliminated.

"There's already some discrimination out there about people who are 50 and older trying to find a job," said Prizel. "So that already starts with that piece and that's a large number of people that have small working issues, maybe they can't stand on their feet all day, maybe they can't do certain things, and then those are the folks that are going to be cut off and are going to be without food."

Under the current tentative plan, individuals with dependents such as children and older adults, as well as those with documented disabilities, are already exempt from work requirements, and this exemption would continue. Additionally, the new proposal, which the Biden administration sees as a success, would also exempt veterans, homeless individuals and young adults transitioning out of foster care from SNAP work requirements. However, the plan still needs to be approved by Congress.