Cuts to the country’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program — included in the massive, recently signed federal policy bill — will have devastating impacts across the Bay Area, Second Harvest of Silicon Valley executive director Leslie Bacho said.
Food bank leadership sounded the alarm in June that if the legislation passed, food banks would see a major uptick in food insecurity from the cuts — which, per a recent report from the Urban Institute, will mean that 22.3 million Americans will lose all or some of their food assistance.
The cuts, which have been estimated at $186 billion over the next 10 years, would be the largest in the program’s history, Bacho said.
“The impact of the cut will be greater than what the entire charitable food system is providing today, and so that's rather daunting,” she said. “We do know that any time [the program] gets cut, we see our lines get longer.”
Food banks across the Bay Area are now preparing for an influx of community members requiring assistance. The work requirements for the program have become more stringent, Bacho said, and that element should go into effect “pretty immediately.”
Other aspects of the program cuts will force states to carry a larger financial burden in providing benefit services, rather than simply administering the programs. California, for example, could lose anywhere from $2.8 billion to $5.4 billion annually, a press release from Gov. Gavin Newsom said.
In the Bay Area, Bay Area, 675,000 individuals rely on food assistance programs, and one in six individuals in Silicon Valley alone use Second Harvest’s food bank services.
Bacho is estimating that number will go up with the implementation of federal cuts because historically, limiting SNAP services — known in California as CalFresh — has led to immediate upticks in food bank users.
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“We just have a lot of concern around what the need is going to look like,” she said. “SNAP is the best way for people to receive food assistance, to be able to go to the grocery store and select what they want. Our intention is not to replace SNAP. We'll never be able to replace SNAP.”
Right now, Second Harvest is focused on getting the word out to the community, both about the cuts and about the dire need for food assistance even in a proportionally wealthy area like Silicon Valley.
“We have such extreme income inequality, it's literally doubled at twice the rate of the rest of the U.S. over the past decade,” Bacho said. “Some of our neighbors, even folks who are working, are still struggling to make it — and just helping people understand the importance of investing here locally.”
Second Harvest is also facing financial troubles of its own, as Biden-era federal assistance programs for food banks nationwide have come to an end. Though the food bank is involved in policy conversations around funding at the state and local levels, the state’s substantial budget deficit means it might not have much to spend on nonprofits.
Bacho emphasized that a lack of food assistance doesn’t only mean families and children will go hungry in the short-term, but can cause serious long-term effects on health and development.
“Not only is it inhumane, but it's also so shortsighted,” she said.
I’d be interested in knowing the percentage of people being served who are not citizens of California. If they’re removed would food banks still be sounding the alarm or would there be enough to go around? For Democrats or other folks who support the program (regardless of who they serve) begin, or increase, donations to food banks. For now, many may opt to donate elsewhere.
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I’d be interested in knowing the percentage of people being served who are not citizens of California. If they’re removed would food banks still be sounding the alarm or would there be enough to go around? For Democrats or other folks who support the program (regardless of who they serve) begin, or increase, donations to food banks. For now, many may opt to donate elsewhere.
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Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who make comments.
Keep it clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
Don't threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
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PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Anyone violating these rules will be issued a warning. After the warning, comment privileges can be revoked.