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Amid uncertainty over federal food aid funding, the San Benito County Board of Supervisors on Nov. 6 approved an additional $50,000 to help feed the county’s most vulnerable residents.
More than 7,000 residents—about 10% of the county, including about 3,000 children—have been affected since federal food benefits, known in California as CalFresh, were halted on Nov. 1.
The extra county funds, when added to the $100,000 the board approved two days earlier, would also go to the Community Food Bank to support those who lost assistance.
The funds will remain under the discretion of County Administrative Officer Esperanza Colio Warren, who will release them if and when they are needed.
Just hours after the board earmarked the extra funds, a federal judge ordered the Trump Administration to restore benefits to the 42 million low-income Americans participating in the food assistance program.
Although the Justice Department said it plans to appeal, putting the distribution process in limbo, Californians are already starting to see their benefits fully restored.
Tracey Belton, director of the county’s Health and Human Services Agency, told supervisors that the California Department of Social Services sent a “truckload” of food to be distributed to the food bank after the county declared a local emergency on Oct. 31. But what kind of food the truck contained and when it would arrive was unknown.
To ensure continued support in the meantime, the supervisors agreed to allocate the extra funds to the food bank until the supervisors’ next meeting on Nov. 18. The emergency money will come from Health and Human Services Agency reserves; the board also said it may reconvene sooner if needed.
“It is a situation that we have to continue to evaluate,” Community Food Bank Executive Director Antonio Mendoza said.
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