The 50,000-square-foot cold storage warehouse at the Food Bank for Monterey County is looking sparse on Monday, Oct. 27. Normally filled with fresh produce in the summer, come fall agricultural companies that donate to the Food Bank move production to Yuma, Arizona and donations decrease.
“I would call this just about empty,” CEO and Executive Director Melissa Kendrick says. In another part of the warehouse where non-perishable food is stored, she points to empty shelves. What used to take three to six months to deplete now takes four to eight weeks.
The dearth of food could not come at a worse time as the federal government shutdown continues. As of Tuesday, Oct. 28, an estimated 50,000 people in Monterey County representing 30,000 families were in danger of not receiving their November CalFresh benefits, the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), once known as food stamps.
There are SNAP reserve funds but the Trump administration claimed they were not legally able to use them. California and more than 20 other states filed suit on Tuesday, Oct. 28 against the administration, demanding the benefits continue.
As Nov. 1 approached, officials at the Monterey County Department of Social Services were preparing recipients for the possible shutdown.
“What we are doing is asking our CalFresh recipients to call 211 and check the food banks if they need food, because at this point we’re waiting ourselves to see what happens,” says DSS Deputy Director Annette Gallegos, referring to the phone number for information and referrals operated by the United Way Monterey County.
Already in recent months the Food Bank has seen more people showing up to over 100 distribution sites in search of food. In some cases, sites run out. Since the beginning of September they’ve seen a significant increase in requests beyond the normal demand as seasonal agricultural workers head into a period of unemployment, Kendrick says.
“It’s shocking to see how quickly the numbers are going up,” Kendrick says. “For those who we serve, they seem to be getting further and further behind because of inflationary costs.” The Food Bank serves approximately 60,000 families and 160,000 individuals each month.
Inflation also impacts the Food Bank, which purchases a high volume of food. Early in the Trump administration, they lost 20 truckloads of protein and dairy they normally receive due to federal funding cuts. A grant to purchase produce from first-generation, independent farmers was ended.
Kendrick says in general they’ve seen food costs go up 50- to 80-percent since the Covid-19 pandemic while the need among local residents has not decreased. Food Bank trucks advertise that the organization serves 1 in 4 children in the county, but that’s outdated – it’s more like 1 in 3.
Gov. Gavin Newsom announced on Oct. 22 he is fast-tracking $80 million in funds to food banks ahead of the delays in benefits.
Although CalFresh benefits are endangered for November, another U.S. Department of Agriculture program, the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), will continue through the end of the month.