San Benito food bank warns of spike in need as CalFresh benefits face federal disruption
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Summary
The county’s Community Food Bank and Health & Human Services Agency told the Board of Supervisors that a federal shutdown will interrupt SNAP/CalFresh benefits and create immediate local need. County staff said they are coordinating with the state and will return to the board with options for emergency support.
The Community Food Bank of San Benito told the Board of Supervisors on Oct. 28 that the county could see a significant surge in hunger if federal SNAP and CalFresh payments do not reach recipients in November.
“More than 40,000,000 Americans who depend on SNAP and CalFresh benefits will not be receiving those benefits in the month of November,” Antonio Mendoza, executive director of the Community Food Bank of San Benito, told the board. He said about 7,000 county residents relied on those benefits in June 2025 and that the local administering cost for that month was roughly $1,300,000.
Tracy Belton, director of the county Health and Human Services Agency, said the county has 7,742 recipients and 3,794 households on CalFresh locally and is coordinating messages to recipients while tracking state and federal updates. “We are messaging as much as we can out to the recipients as well as the community,” Belton said. She told the board her staff is reviewing flexible funding and working with the state Department of Social Services (CDSS) to track impacts.
Board members directed the chief administrative office to return to a regular meeting with recommendations. County officials discussed bringing options back as soon as the Nov. 4 meeting, and staff said they will prepare a report outlining funding and coordination options with nonprofit partners.
Why it matters: Local emergency food providers say they are already seeing increased demand for services and fear having to turn people away without short-term funding. State and county actions to coordinate emergency distributions or redirect flexible funds could blunt the immediate impact while longer-term assistance is sorted at the state and federal level.
What officials said next: Board members asked the CAO and HHS to continue working with the Community Food Bank and to present a set of options for possible emergency allocations and operational collaborations at the next regular meeting. Belton cautioned the board the county does not yet have final answers from CDSS on timing and availability of state support.
Next steps: County staff will return with options for an emergency agenda item and with recommendations on coordination with the food bank, nonprofits and the state.
