Food banks report surges during shutdown; LFPA and state CalFood funds helped blunt crisis
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Summary
Food bank leaders told the CDFA board that demand spiked during the federal shutdown and that LFPA, CalFood and emergency state actions helped mitigate shortages; panelists urged sustaining local procurement programs as federal funds wane.
Stacia Levinfeld, CEO of the California Association of Food Banks, described an intense surge in demand during the federal government shutdown and the period when SNAP benefit deliveries were delayed.
"At the height of the pandemic, [food banks] served about 4,500,000 people monthly. Over the last couple of years that has actually increased to over 6,000,000 people monthly," Levinfeld said, describing long lines at distributions and signs of sustained need across urban and rural regions.
Panelists outlined the role of the Local Food Purchase Assistance (LFPA) program ("Farms Together" in California) and CDFA-contracted procurement in supplying fresh produce and building relationships with small and mid-sized farms. Alexis Fernandez Garcia (CDSS) said LFPA brought roughly $88 million to California in two rounds and that, as of September, about $47 million in purchases had been made toward the performance period that runs into July 2026. CDFA grants chief Steven Teixeira said a separate CDFA LFPA subaward of about $14.1 million had committed $12.0 million and spent $10.3 million, purchasing over 4 million pounds of food and engaging nearly 478 farmers and 33 aggregators.
Panelists emphasized both immediate relief and longer-term sustainability: food banks invested in recovered-food operations, and private philanthropy and state fast-tracked CalFood funding helped distribution. Levinfeld credited a gubernatorial decision to fast-track $80 million in CalFood support during the shutdown as critical to ensuring food reached families quickly.
The board and food system partners discussed options to sustain local procurement as some federal sources are uncertain. CDFA and partners said they are exploring private funding, grant flexibility, and aligning state programs to preserve relationships with local producers and food hubs.
