County officials and the San Luis Obispo Food Bank told the Board of Supervisors on Nov. 4 that a federal shutdown has delayed full issuance of CalFresh (SNAP) benefits and that local organizations are mobilizing to meet immediate needs.

The county’s Department of Social Services and the SLO Food Bank’s CEO, Molly Kern, said the United States Department of Agriculture chose to issue partial SNAP benefits after a federal judge ordered the agency to produce a plan. County staff said the state must receive USDA issuance tables before it can calculate the partial payment level and distribute benefits; those tables were due to the state the day after the meeting. Kern said local recipients could expect a delay of about 1–3 weeks before benefits are restored to whatever partial level USDA sets.

“Participants who receive benefits have a card like a debit card, and those cards are loaded each month. Because that is done directly through the vendor, the county or state cannot augment those funds and get reimbursed,” the county’s social services director told the board, adding that statewide the missing monthly funding amounts to about $1.1 billion and that participants on average receive roughly $27 per month under typical California calculations.

Kern said the SLO Food Bank is already seeing a record increase in pantry visitors and “a deluge of panicked phone calls.” The food bank normally serves more than 45,000 people each month; Kern said about 60 percent of local CalFresh recipients—roughly 18,000 people—already use the food bank because monthly CalFresh benefits do not fully cover needs. Kern described new users arriving at pantries, frontline employees in hospitality and agriculture seeking help, and families and seniors facing shortfalls.

“We are increasing the reach and volume of food that is distributed through existing pantries and meal sites,” Kern said, and asked the public for monetary donations and volunteers, noting the organization’s current incremental cost to maintain heightened service is roughly $60,000 to $100,000 per month.

Board members directed staff to continue coordination with local partners, and Kern said the food bank and county public‑health messaging teams were working to target outreach to residents affected by the delay.

The board considered a separate item (item 12) that would establish an intercounty memorandum of understanding to provide mutual support for CalFresh issuance in a declared disaster, and staff clarified the MOU applies to disaster contingency planning and is distinct from the federal funding delay.

Sources: Board staff presentation and Q&A with the San Luis Obispo County Department of Social Services and Molly Kern, SLO Food Bank. Quoted speakers are identified in the article’s attribution list.