In what has become one of the longest government shutdown on record, federal workers missed their first paycheck last week and SNAP recipients are not likely to receive benefits. Now Southern California food banks are getting ready to feed them.

State officials have advised that benefits for CalFresh — California’s version of the federally-funded SNAP program — will likely be disrupted for the month of November if the shutdown lasts through this week. The program provides food assistance for more than 1.5 million people in L.A. County, the majority of whom are children and seniors.

“It’s a type of disaster — one that actually we can kind of see coming at us, unlike the wildfires that occurred earlier in the year and the pandemic,” said Michael Flood, CEO of the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank, which works with about 600 organizations to distribute food throughout the county.

Flood said the organization has started purchasing extra food this week in anticipation. Typically, the organization mostly distributes food that is donated from retailers and farmers, but when demand is high — like in times of a natural disaster — the food bank purchases food to supplement, he said.

The organization and its partners have already been stretching resources this year to meet an increased demand after the January fires. Food distribution has been up 24% this year compared to the same time period last year, Flood said.

“Our high cost of living — that's an ongoing issue here throughout the L.A. metro area and Southern California area, so your average agency is already doing a lot more,” he said.

L.A. County officials said they’re making efforts to provide $10 million to help food pantries — similar to what they did during the pandemic.

Flood said on an average week, the organization distributes 3.3 million pounds of food and other items, like diapers. The extra $10 million from the county will allow them to purchase an additional 6 to 8 million pounds of food, he said.

Gov. Gavin Newsom also pledged to deploy the California National Guard to support food banks, as well as provide up to $80 million in funding — $18.2 million of which would go to the L.A. Regional Food Bank.

“We don’t know if it’s going to be two days, two weeks or two months. We’re preparing for anything,” said Claudia Bonilla Keller, chief executive of Second Harvest Food Bank, which collects and distributes food to about 380 food pantries and others throughout Orange County.

Keller added that even if the Senate approves emergency funding for SNAP, her organization has already launched a plan to make more food available in early November.

Food-oriented nonprofits already have seen an upturn because of the shutdown. About 10,000 federal workers live in Orange County, and though many are furloughed — meaning they’re not working while they’re not being paid — more than 300 TSA workers continue to work at John Wayne Airport without pay.

Keller said that a food pantry opened this week in the TSA employee lounge at John Wayne.

Wider Implications of SNAP Shutdown

SNAP benefits significantly support the local economy by acting as a direct economic stimulus, where every dollar spent generates additional economic activity, often cited as creating $1.50 to $1.80 in economic output. This spending circulates through local retailers, such as grocery stores and farmers' markets, which in turn supports jobs and wages for producers, processors, and distributors. Reductions or delays in SNAP benefits can thus negatively impact small businesses, leading to decreased revenue and job losses

Any cutback to CalFresh also could have a broader impact on businesses in Orange County. Virtually every penny allocated for food assistance is spent in the recipient’s community. And a recent study from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities found that each CalFresh dollar spent generates about $1.50 for the broader economy.

An Tran, director of the Orange County Social Services Agency Tran said Orange County spends about $62 million a month on CalFresh. Between 2023 and 2024, California distributed approximately $12 billion in CalFresh benefits to around 5.38 million individuals or 13.6 % of the population.

“About 98 to 99 percent of CalFresh benefits are spent in the local economy, at mom and pop stores selling food and fresh produce. Even though $62 million a month sounds like a lot of money, it’s all going toward families who are very needy,” Tran said.

Food Bank Resources

Inland Empire

Helping Hands Pantry -  Clients need to sign up on their website www.helpinghandspantry.org

Sunrise Church Peace Centers - Throughout the inland Empire in Victorville, Banning, Upland and Rialto. Visit - sunriselife.org for more information.

Feeding America Inland Empire - Find a distribution site at feedingamericaie.org.

Orange County

Second Harvest Food Bank - Visit feedoc.org for a list of distribution sites throughout the area.

San Diego County

San Diego Food Bank - Visit sandiegofoodbank.org for distribution sites.

Los Angeles County

Los Angeles Food Bank - Visit lafoodbank.org for distribution sites.

Ventura County

Food Share of Ventura County - Visit foodshare.com for local share sites.

Other Areas

Foodpantries.org provides a list of distribution sites throughout the state, visit foodpantries.org for more information. However, the information may be out of date in some cases, so make contact before you set out to pick up food.