BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — As the government shutdown stretches on, thousands of Kern County families who rely on CalFresh — California’s version of the federal SNAP benefits program — are facing an uncertain future.

Many are asking the same painful question: Where will my next meal come from?

For Bakersfield resident Nicole Guzman, a single mother of two, the situation has become dire.

“As a mom, I make something out of nothing all the time,” Guzman said. “But now, with our benefits cut, it’s hard. We have to find other ways and go to different places just to feed our families.”

Guzman has relied on CalFresh for the past decade, but October was the last time she received her benefits. Payments stopped after the federal government shut down, leaving families like hers scrambling to f

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