The San Benito County Board of Supervisors on Nov. 4 approved an allocation of $100,000 for the Community Food Bank of San Benito due to the disruption of funding to CalFresh.
In a press release, the county said the expense highlights the board’s commitment to ensuring that vulnerable local residents will not go without much needed food as the federal shutdown impacts communities throughout the nation.
Supervisors made it clear they are committed to partnering with the local food bank throughout the current crisis to ensure local families do not lose out on these nutritional benefits.
“This County Board has made it very clear: We will not allow children and vulnerable families to go without food in our community,” Board Chair Kollin Kosmicki said. “We are committed to working collaboratively with the food bank and other partners to ensure we get through this together.”
CalFresh is funded by the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, which the Trump Administration has declined to finance for the month of November as the shutdown continues.
The program provides critical food assistance to 7,742 individuals and 3,794 households in San Benito County.
The expense of $100,000 was an initial allocation from the county’s Health and Human Service Agency’s reserve funds to provide the food bank with temporary assistance as the county and local nonprofit organization work together on how to address the suspension of SNAP funds moving forward.
The money is intended to cover at least one week of CalFresh benefits for local residents as the county explores additional options.
The Community Food Bank of San Benito provides food and groceries to about 10,000 people monthly, and that number is expected to rise for as long as the federal government shutdown continues.
