06 Nov County OKs $21 Million for Emergency CalFresh/SNAP Funding

The Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday declared a local emergency and approved funds to help residents whose food assistance was halted by the federal government shutdown. (Screenshot by Samantha Kennedy / The CC Pulse)

CC Pulse Staff Report

The Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors declared a local emergency this week over disruptions in allocation of federal food funding, allocating $21 million to help more than 100,000 county residents in need of assistance.

The disruptions, related to the federal government shutdown, are affecting funding to CalFresh recipients. CalFresh is the state implementation of the federal Supplemental Nutrition Food Assistance Program, or SNAP.

“We recognize the hardship this creates for many in our community,” Board Chair and District 2 Supervisor Candace Andersen said in a press release Wednesday. “The lapse in government funding for SNAP benefits not only impacts vulnerable residents who depend on food assistance but also threatens the stability of local grocers and the capacity of the Contra Costa County Food Collaborative to meet increasing demand.”

Of CalFresh recipients, approximately 59,000 in the county are children and older adults. 

The money allocated by supervisors will be used to purchase debit cards to be distributed to eligible CalFresh households. Supervisors authorized the Employment & Human Services Department to purchase and distribute the cards. They will also deploy additional staff to help support distribution at the EHSD’s busiest locations.

Eligible CalFresh participants can pick up debit cards loaded with two weeks of approved benefit amounts starting Nov. 10 at these locations: 1395 Macdonald Ave., Richmond; 151 Linus Pauling Dr., Hercules; 400 Ellinwood Way, Pleasant Hill; and 4545 Delta Fair Blvd., Antioch. 

The debit cards may be loaded later with additional funds, depending on when the federal government allocates more monies for the program.

Supervisors noted that for especially vulnerable populations, such as homebound older adults and former foster youth participating in the EHSD Independent Living Skills Program, the EHSD may identify a different distribution process. 

Residents seeking food resources during the disruption can search by city or ZIP code to locate food distribution sites on the Food Bank of Contra Costa & Solano’s Find Food in My City page.  

 >>>Additional Coverage:

Where to Find Free Food in Contra Costa County Amid SNAP Delays<<<

They can also call (855) 309-FOOD (3663). 

Additional resources include the California Food Banks’ website and the Contra Costa Crisis Center, which can also be reached by calling 988 or (800) 273-8255 or texting “HOPE” to 20121.  

The 211 Contra Costa Database – Contra Costa Crisis Center offers a comprehensive database of local health and social services for Contra Costa residents. Community members can visit ehsd.org for CalFresh updates related to the federal government shutdown.