Across the nation, the need for food aid is surging as millions of individuals temporarily lose their Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits due to the Trump administration’s refusal to pay amidst the government shutdown, leaving men, women, and children vulnerable and at the mercy of their local food banks.
“This week we saw our lines grow by over 30%. We’re buying all the food we can, expanding distribution sites, setting up people who are homebound for home delivery, and planning mass distributions of food,” said Erica Padilla-Chavez, the CEO of Second Harvest Food Bank Santa Cruz County.
Run by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, SNAP, also known as CalFresh in California, is a national program that provides low-income individuals and families with assistance in purchasing groceries and maintaining a healthy diet.
According to PBS News, there are approximately 42 million SNAP recipients, with roughly 5.5 million in California. Although on Oct. 31, a federal judge ordered the Trump administration to pay SNAP benefits out of a contingency fund, it is currently uncertain how soon participants will receive aid, leaving many scrambling to find food. Many food banks are attempting to provide as much as possible despite the sudden increase in need.
“In Santa Cruz County, there are about 40,000 families who are not going to be receiving the benefit. No food bank is set up to meet the needs of so many. Food banks have always been the second line of defense against food insecurity. SNAP has always been the first,” Padilla-Chavez said.
The cut to SNAP benefits has left millions of families pressed for money, forcing them to prioritize which bills to pay. However, they are not the only ones struggling financially, as food banks also do not have enough money to support thousands of additional families, causing organizations like Second Harvest of Santa Cruz to exhaust their entire budget within a month.
“We have purchased a lot of food. I have signed off on my whole budget for the year so that we can buy food now. We know that, beginning Nov. 1, when people realize that they don’t have their benefits, they’re going to be looking for food,” Padilla-Chavez said.
Buying large quantities of food in preparation for the cutoff is not the only tactic food banks are using to address the expected increase in need throughout November. Many are also increasing the amount of food each distribution site is provided with to combat the longer lines.
“We have already increased the amount of food that we’re sending to food distributions. We have a 130 faith-based nonprofit partner network that distributes food, and we’ve said to them, ‘Let us know what you’re experiencing and what your needs are.’ We also have 300 of our own distributions. We can increase capacity at our own sites, and also be proactive with our partner network,” said Allison Goodwin, the president and CEO of Redwood Empire Food Bank (REFB).
Although food banks are experiencing increased pressure in many different forms, they are not alone, as according to CBS News, Gov. Gavin Newsom has deployed the California National Guard to assist with food bank operations. Meant to provide aid for food banks during this struggling time, many food banks across the state, especially in the Bay Area, are declining this aid for multiple reasons, one being that they currently do not need the additional help.
“We don’t have a need for them at all, so we didn’t submit the request form to have the National Guard. None of our Bay Area colleagues at other food banks did that either. It’s just that we don’t even have the amount of food and projects to keep them busy,” Goodwin said.
The REFB had previously used the California National Guard during the COVID-19 pandemic, aiding them and food bank recipients at distribution sites, according to Goodwin. Despite being incredibly helpful during that time, another factor in declining the aid is the result of recent events, which have caused many food bank participants to have increased anxiety surrounding uniformed officers.
“In our county, we’ve talked to some of our participants who come to our food distribution sites, and because of all of the activity around the use of the military right now, some of our participants expressed that they would feel a sense of anxiety knowing that we’re using them for help, so we took that into account. It’s not off the table because I know the California National Guard is here to do good, but right now, we’re okay without them,” Padilla-Chavez said.
Although having a military presence might increase uncertainty and fear for food banks, food banks are not the only source of aid that impacted families are receiving. For some students of Carlmont High School, this additional support comes in the form of the Carlmont Food Pantry, which currently serves around 45 to 50 families.
“For now, not a lot of people are coming in and requesting help, but for sure, we’re expecting more people to ask for help later. We are also expecting more people to request food in December because of the holidays in general,” said Irma Abelt, the secretary to the administrative vice principal at Carlmont High School.
Having food during the holidays, like Thanksgiving and Christmas, is crucial; however, not all food banks provide this luxury. While some may be able to source a turkey and other festive foods from their school, others are not as fortunate, as some food banks, like REFB, focus more on providing consistent aid.
“We try to have a balanced provision of help throughout the year, and so we don’t do anything that’s uniquely different during the holidays. We do sometimes get donated turkeys; however, we don’t typically have the amount of turkeys to serve hundreds of thousands of people,” Goodwin said.
At the end of the day, whether a food bank distributes holiday meals or not, all food banks serve the purpose of providing for their community, no matter how big or small. With the government shutdown and millions of dollars being withheld from SNAP participants, many food banks are struggling to fulfill their purpose, asking for as much assistance as possible from their community during this trying time.
“I’ve been saying to the community that I need their help. So right now, we’re fundraising and asking the community to donate food and make any financial contribution they can. If this goes into December, it will be a very challenging time. My job is to reassure people that we are here for them, and that if they need food, they don’t need to worry,” Padilla-Chavez said.
