County agencies coordinate with food banks as thousands face loss of benefits
As the federal government shutdown enters its third week, Sacramento County officials are warning that CalFresh benefits will not be funded for the month of November, leaving thousands of local residents and families uncertain about how they’ll afford groceries in the weeks ahead.
In Sacramento County, roughly 270,000 people rely on CalFresh to feed themselves and their families, including thousands of children. With Congress unable to pass a federal budget, funding for the federally backed program has been frozen, halting November’s benefit disbursements until the government reopens.
“This federal shutdown has created significant uncertainty for families who rely on CalFresh,” said Ethan Dye, Sacramento County’s Director of Human Assistance. “While the County does not control federal funding, our focus is on making sure residents have clear information and know where to turn for local resources. We are in close communication with our partners at the state and with community organizations so that everyone has the same, accurate understanding of what’s happening and what help is available.”
The County’s Department of Human Assistance has begun alerting CalFresh recipients through text messages, social media, and in-office notifications to ensure residents are aware of the disruption. Officials are also working with food banks and assistance organizations across the region to provide emergency food support while federal funding remains on hold.
“The likelihood that we have a surge in new guests is high as those who depend on Cal Fresh will be forced to seek other means to provide food for their families,” Twin Lakes Food Bank Executive Director Lisa Tuter told Folsom Times. “This is hard to predict. However, the delay or even suspension of November benefits will significantly impact our food, insecure neighbors.”
According to officials, the pausing in CalFresh funding would require that area food banks to quadruple their food distributions, just to close the gap created by the financial pause, a feat many organizations do not have the resources to facilitate quickly.
County leaders emphasized that those who already have existing balances on their EBT cards can continue to use those funds as usual. However, November’s benefit cycle will not reload unless the federal government reopens. The pause in funding is expected to put more strain on are organizations such as Twin Lakes Food Bank, Sacramento County Food Bank and Family Services, the Food Bank of El Dorado County and others as those who rely on the Government funding will need to rely on the resources for even more support. The strain comes at a time when such organizations work to provide additional holiday meals and resources outside of their scheduled distribution programs.
Residents with questions or in need of food assistance can call 2-1-1 for immediate help or visit the California Association of Food Banks website to locate local food resources. Sacramento County is also encouraging community members to support local food banks through donations as the demand for emergency food support rises during the shutdown.
CalFresh, known nationally as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), is funded by the federal government and administered by the State of California in partnership with counties. With no federal budget in place, the program and others like it are currently unfunded, creating growing concern among low-income households across the state.
For more information and updates, residents can visit the Sacramento County Department of Human Assistance webpage.
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