This browser does not support the Video element.
5.5M California could go without SNAP benefits
5.5M California could go without SNAP benefits, which is called CalFresh.
OAKLAND, Calif. - The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, helps about one in eight Americans buy groceries.
A halt to SNAP benefits would leave a gaping hole in the country’s safety net. Vulnerable families could see federal money dry up soon for some other programs, as well — from certain Head Start preschool programs to aid for mothers to care for their newborns through the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, known as WIC.
In California, SNAP is called CalFresh.
The US Department of Agriculture said SNAP debit cards beneficiaries use to buy groceries will not be reloaded as of Nov. 1.
Here's a look at the SNAP shutdown by the numbers:
Lack of funds for SNAP benefits could affect millions
A total of 42 million Americans receive SNAP benefits.
Most SNAP participants are families with children, more than 1 in 3 include older adults or someone with a disability, and close to 2 in 5 are households where someone is employed. Most have incomes below the poverty line, about $32,000 for a family of four, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. The USDA says nearly 16 million children received SNAP benefits in 2023.
The average monthly benefit is $187 per person.
Beneficiaries say that without the aid, they’ll be forced to choose between buying food and paying other bills. Food banks are preparing for a spike in demand that they’ll have to navigate with decreased federal aid themselves.
Not everyone receives their SNAP benefits on the first day of the month, though many beneficiaries get them early in the month, with some differences by state.
California CalFresh recipients
In California, there are 5.5 million recipients on CalFresh, and 500,000 living in the Bay Area.
Bay Area CalFresh
In the nine-Bay Area region, a map of Census Bureau data shows the breakdown of CalFresh recipients.
Here is the breakdown.
Alameda County A total of 175,000 people are on CalFresh.
Contra Costa County A total of 109,000 people are on CalFresh. .
Napa County A total of 11,000 people are on CalFresh. .
Marin County A total of 15,000 people are on CalFresh.
San Francisco A total of 109,000 people are on CalFresh.
San Mateo County A total of 35,500 people are on CalFresh.
Santa Clara County A total of 132,000 people are on CalFresh.
Sonoma County A total of 43,000 people are on CalFresh.
Solano County A total of 54,000 people are on CalFresh.
Cost in California
The statewide average to feed someone on CalFresh a day in California is $12.20
Free food in Bay Area for SNAP recipients: Here's the list
With SNAP benefits slated to expire on Saturday, local food banks, restaurants, and community members have been stepping up, in an effort to support their neighbors who will be affected.
Some states seeking to fill void of SNAP benefit cuts
Gov. Gavin Newsom announced that California is fast-tracking up to $80 million in state funds, as well as deploying the California National Guard and California Volunteers to support food banks as the ongoing federal government shutdown begins to delay SNAP food benefits.
But at least some California food banks say they don’t want National Guard members’ help, fearing the Trump administration’s use of those troops in mass deportation efforts could scare vulnerable residents from seeking food.
Other states pitching in too
On the West Coast, Washington state said it would send nearly $2.2 million a week to food banks starting Nov. 3 if a deal to end the shutdown is not made by then.
Officials in Louisiana, Vermont, Virginia and Rhode Island have pledged to provide some type of backup food aid for recipients. The USDA says states won’t be reimbursed.
More funding for food banks and pantries is planned in states including New Hampshire, Minnesota, California, New Mexico, Connecticut, New York, Rhode Island and West Virginia.
This browser does not support the Video element.
Sense of safety in Oakland & SNAP shutdown | Take 2 Tonight
KTVU's anchors discuss the perception of crime in Oakland and how that factors in to people's sense of safety. We look at the SNAP payment cutoff coming this weekend and how food banks and communities are preparing to keep people fed. Mike Mibach previews the 10 O'Clock News.
Early childhood education
More than 130 Head Start preschool programs won’t receive their annual federal grants on Nov. 1 if the government remains shut down, according to the National Head Start Association.
Centers are scrambling to assess how long they can stay open, since nearly all their funding is federal. Head Start provides education and child care for the nation’s neediest preschoolers.
With new grants on hold, a half dozen Head Start programs have already missed federal disbursements they were expecting Oct. 1 but have stayed open with fast-dwindling reserves or with help from local governments. All told, more than 65,000 seats at Head Start programs nationwide could be affected.
Food aid for mothers and young children
Another food aid program supporting millions of low-income mothers and young children already received an infusion to keep the program open through October. But states say that money could run out as early as Nov. 8.
The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children helps more than 6 million low-income mothers, young children and expectant parents purchase nutritious staples such as fruits and vegetables, low-fat milk and infant formula.
The program, known as WIC, risked running out of money in October because of the shutdown. The Trump administration reassigned $300 million to keep it afloat, but only for a few weeks.