San Mateo County fights food insecurity amid the government shutdown

On Tuesday, the Board of Supervisors made a commitment to fighting food insecurity and supporting vulnerable residents, dedicating nearly $900,000 to the county’s eight safety net organizations to purchase and distribute food over the next year. 

A couple hours after the board approved the financial contribution, community leaders gathered for a press conference to highlight how they, residents and nonprofit organizations are working together to address food insecurity in San Mateo County. 

On Monday, Oct. 20, the county’s Human Services Agency was notified that the state’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program — called CalFRESH in California — will likely be disrupted due to the government’s shutdown, HSA Director Claire Cunningham said. 

CalFRESH benefits are entirely federally funded, and currently there are “insufficient” to pay November benefits, according to a memo sent by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service, Cunningham said. 

This means, almost 35,000 San Mateo County residents will not have CalFRESH benefits loaded on their electronic benefit transfer cards beginning Nov. 1. 

Despite Silicon Valley’s affluence, the region has a food insecurity rate higher than the national average, Second Harvest of Silicon Valley CEO Leslie Bacho said. This is directly due to the high cost of living, Bacho said. 

“This is not an abstract policy debate,” Cunningham said. “By helping put food on the table for the most vulnerable members of our community, CalFRESH brings in $6.5 million into our local economy and, if these benefits lapse, the ripple effect will be felt across grocery stores, families, children and seniors.” 

Organizations like Second Harvest of Silicon Valley are reporting a demand comparable to the need during the pandemic, and that need is only exacerbated during the holiday season. 

In the holiday spirit, a portion of the county’s allotted funds will go specifically to funding “holiday protein” that includes turkeys and hams for celebratory dinners. 

“It’s not Thanksgiving without a turkey,” Cunningham said. 

The shutdown is just one aspect of the looming food insecurity crisis, Cunningham said. Changes in eligibility and policy will likely cut the number of people able to receive CalFRESH benefits, which will only place further strain on local food banks and assistance programs. 

“We cannot control everything that happens in Washington,” Bacho said. “We can control how we respond to it here at home,” Bacho said. 

Speier noted that more than 80% of funding for Second Harvest of Silicon Valley comes from individual donations, and encouraged residents to consider donating or volunteering their time. 

Residents interested in volunteering their time or supporting local food programs can visit www.smcgov.org/hsa/ for more information on the core agencies providers emergency safety net assistance in the county. Those in need of food or assistance are encouraged to visit www.shfb.org for free food. 

“We get to decide what kind of community we want to be and how we want to show up for our neighbors,” Bacho said.