The government shutdown has hit a new record. Some relief for the hungry is coming, eventually.

Erik Chalhoub here. Usually milestones are worth celebrating, but today marks a record no one should be proud of: At 36 days, this is now the longest federal government shutdown in the history of the United States.

Pundits point to the results of last night’s election as partly a response to the shutdown. On the East Coast, Democrats came out on top in various races, while closer to home, California’s Proposition 50 scored a decisive win among voters. Monterey County voters showed strong support for the plan to gerrymander the state’s congressional districts to favor Democrats, with 67.8 percent in favor as of election night.

As politics are being played out, people are going hungry. As Weekly staff writer Pam Marino previously reported, an estimated 50,000 people in Monterey County are in danger of not receiving their November CalFresh benefits, the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), once known as food stamps.

Late last week, two federal judges ruled that the Trump administration must provide the funds to keep SNAP going in the midst of the shutdown. The administration responded by saying it would begin paying out benefits, but only half of them.

Annette Gallegos, assistant deputy director of Monterey County’s Department of Social Services, said during a media briefing today, Nov. 5 that those funds could be coming early next week.

Gallegos said the months of November, December and January are typically when CalFresh applications peak in Monterey County, as large numbers of agriculture and hospitality workers are laid off when the winter slowdown takes hold.

But with the constant uncertainty at the federal level, the department has seen a decrease in applications during the first week of November compared to previous years, according to Gallegos.

Gallegos urged those who need the benefits to apply and keep their cases active.

“We do not want people to drop off of benefits,” she said. “If you need the services, do apply, so when these benefits are available, you will receive them.”

Organizations such as the Food Bank for Monterey County are seeing an uptick in people needing food, and yesterday, Nov. 4, the Monterey County Board of Supervisors approved giving $150,000 to the food bank.

CalFresh recipients are encouraged to call 211 to get information on where they can find food.

Meanwhile, every day going forward is a new record.