Food banks prepare to step up as government shutdown impacts CalFresh benefits

Hundreds of thousands of San Diego County residents could face food insecurity next month, as a federal government shutdown is expected to impact the disbursement of CalFresh payments in November.

More than 395,000 people in nearly 240,000 households receive CalFresh benefits in San Diego County, based on income. The nearly month-long shutdown means, at a minimum, a delay in November benefits for about 42 million Americans, including 5.5 million in California. More than 63% of California’s SNAP participants are children or the elderly.

CalFresh is the California version of the federal food assistance program, also known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, commonly referred to as EBT or food stamps. The program is entirely federally funded, but is managed by states and admin