SNAP scale soars as federal shutdown threatens CalFresh food aid

from Ana B. Ibarra, Deborah Brennan, Phoebe Huss and Chris OlsonCalMatters

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Every Thursday, workers at the Bellflower Township Food Pantry sort through bread, fresh produce and canned goods. Early risers line up with their bags, cardboard boxes and carts in front of the Catholic Church of St. Dominic Savio, ready to hand out at 8am

For some, that routine has become more urgent this week. Five and a half million low-income Californians are enrolled in CalFresh, the state’s version of the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. With the federal government shut down and the Trump administration refusing to use funds to keep food aid on schedule, refrigerators are emptying, cupboards are emptying and fears are growing.

“Without these food banks providing, I don’t know what we’re going to do,” said Miriam Hernandez, a Paramount resident who rushed to St. Dominic after dropping her children off at school.

Across the state, food pantries expect demand for supplies to increase over the next few weeks. To help meet the need, California, county agencies and private groups are pouring in tens of millions of dollars in infill funding. California Attorney General Rob Bonta this week joined other states in suing the federal government, trying to restore federal financial support for SNAP programs, including CalFresh. The program was formerly known as food stamps and now operates through debit cards.

For the roughly 3.5 million senior citizens and children who use CalFresh, meal planning has already changed.

As she waited in line, bag in hand, Hernandez said she felt nervous. To prepare for delays in receiving CalFresh benefits, she stopped by multiple food pantries in Los Angeles County, grateful for anything she could get her hands on.

Hernandez has six children, four of whom are still in school. Her husband is the primary breadwinner, and with grocery prices on the rise, she said CalFresh has been a huge help in her household — it’s largely how she buys meat and poultry. She hopes the benefits will return soon, but in the meantime, she’ll have to make do with what she can find in the closets. Items like rice, lentils and beans can go a long way, she said.

“Mothers, we make do with what little we have and try to prepare food, no matter how little it is,” she said.

California, counties step in

California has released $80 million in support of food banks across the state. Gov. Gavin Newsom also dispatched the California National Guard to help food banks pack and distribute food.

Bonta joined the National Guard and volunteers packing peppers and potatoes at the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank to make the point Thursday. While the USDA says it lacks the funding to provide SNAP benefits to 40 million Americans, Bonta said the federal government has more than $5 billion in emergency funds set aside for the program. A multistate lawsuit is demanding the federal government use those funds to avoid shutting down the program for the first time since it began in 1964.

“These funds are sitting there unspent and it’s reckless, it’s immoral, it’s illegal,” Bonta said.

Federal a judge in Boston signaled that she can intervene.

Even if the judge sides with California, Bonta said it could take “about a week” before benefits are restored for electronic debit cards.

Counties and local governments are also working to gather resources and help. In San Francisco, supported in part by a private donor, the city will provide gift cards to CalFresh members to fully cover their food benefits in November.

With millions of families across the state and country in limbo, food banks and pantries are becoming a lifeline for many more people.

In North San Diego County on Thursday, hundreds of families showed up at Interfaith Community Services in Escondido for an emergency food distribution with regional partner, Feeding San Diego.

People waited in their vehicles for the food bank drive-thru amid a snarl of traffic backing up outside the center. Each family received a box or two filled with fresh strawberries, apples, and cucumbers, along with peanut butter, bread, canned beans, and tuna, and a few treats, such as fruit cakes and chocolate brownies.

The organizations expected to serve 250 families, but expanded that to 270. On a normal day, the Interfaith Food Pantry can serve 30 to 40 families.

“People are panicking today,” said Carissa Casares, spokeswoman for Feeding San Diego. “They’re thinking, how do I fill my fridge? How do I fill my pantry?”

At the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank, which partners with organizations across the county to bring pantries to churches, senior centers and schools, several factors have contributed to increased demand this year, said CEO Michael Flood.

In January, historic wildfires devastated communities in Los Angeles. “And because those fires were so huge, the ripple effect is still there,” Flood said. Then in October, federal workers who were not getting paid because of the shutdown began asking for food boxes. Now with the suspension of CalFresh benefits, that need is likely to grow. About 1.5 million Angelenos rely on food assistance.

His food bank is planning large distribution events for thousands of people, similar to those organized during the pandemic. “This is a catastrophic situation for us here in Los Angeles County, across the state of California and across the country,” he said.

Students, recent graduates looking for stability

In addition to the elderly and children who make up the majority of program participants, veterans, people with disabilities and young people are also trying to make ends meet.

About 200,000 students use the assistance program, and some continue to do so even after they graduate.

Third-year international development student at UCLA, Jade Duarte, said her entire family relies on CalFresh.

“My grandfather just had open heart surgery,” she said. “He depends on good nutrition to recover, right? So things like this would essentially hinder his way of recovery because they’re cutting his money.”

For his own needs, Duarte seeks support outside of his family’s CalFresh. UCLA Food Pantry offers fast food such as ramen. But demand exceeds what food banks can provide, she said. “He won’t be able to take care of the whole situation.”

On college campuses across the state, demand is growing for Basic Needs Centers, which serve as resource centers, connecting students with food assistance and other support programs. At UC Berkeley on Wednesday, the online line to access free food opened at 1 p.m. It was full by 1:01 p.m. The pantry also opened another time slot on Monday.

While essential needs centers are intended as a short-term solution, some students return again and again. Temuujin Sarangerel, a sophomore at Berkeley City College studying business administration and finance, stops by the school center once or twice a week as one of his main sources of food.

He and his mother share a CalFresh debit card and will have to cut back on meat and other foods if they don’t take advantage. The prospect makes him “sad and stressed.”

In Los Angeles County, 22-year-old Dante Thomas, a recent graduate of the University of San Francisco, stopped by the St. Dominic Food Pantry for the first time. Now living in South Gate, Thomas said she knows how to strategically extend CalFresh benefits to last the entire month.

Under the pressure of student debt and keeping up with rent, Thomas said food assistance supports his mental well-being: It’s one less thing to worry about.

“It’s a bit demoralizing as a young person,” he said. “Privileges are being revoked and I can’t find a permanent role in my career, so things are definitely a bit difficult right now.”

In preparation for the possibility that CalFresh won’t show up starting Saturday, Thomas said he’s been even more judicious about what he buys. “I would go to the store and get a salad or something … and now I don’t even think that’s something that makes sense to do financially,” he said. “It’s very difficult.”

Supported by the California Health Care Foundation (CHCF), which works to ensure that people have access to the care they need, when they need it, at a cost they can afford. Visit www.chcf.org to learn more.
Phoebe Huss and Krissa Olson are contributors to the College Journalism Network, a collaboration between CalMatters and student journalists from across California. CalMatters Higher Education Coverage is supported by a grant from the College Futures Foundation.

This article was originally published on CalMatters and is republished under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivatives license.