The federal government shutdown may soon interrupt food assistance benefits to more than 93,000 residents of Long Beach, according to the Los Angeles Department of Social Services.
“All CalFresh households will be impacted,” and may not receive their benefits in November, if the shutdown continues past October 23, according to a spokesperson for LA DPSS.
CalFresh, which provides low-income Californians with monthly benefits to pay for food, is federally financed, and additional funding has not been authorized since Congressional Democrats and the Trump administration deadlocked on spending negotiations.
Delays in CalFresh benefits are expected to affect about 1.6 million residents of Los Angeles County and 5.5 million Californians, according to the California Department of Social Services data dashboard.
The federal shutdown has also paused some state programs, including the California Food Assistance Program, which provides benefits for non-citizens who don’t qualify for CalFresh, according to LA DPSS.
These delays come as local food banks and pantries are already scrambling to feed the Long Beach community.
“We’re already seeing larger demands,” said Dixie Dohrmann, director of Christian Outreach in Action, a nonprofit that provided groceries and hot meals to 185,000 locals last year.
As grocery prices have risen, the strain on the Long Beach residents has grown, Dohrmann said. Without CalFresh and state assistance, demand will only increase, she said.
In anticipation, the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank has stepped up distribution, CEO Michael Flood said.
“We’re preparing for worst case right now,” he said, expecting a “disaster situation,” similar to the COVID-19 pandemic when demand surged quickly.
To supplement the food the LA Regional Food Bank receives from donations and the Department of Agriculture, the LA Board of Supervisors met yesterday and agreed to authorize an additional $10 million for the food bank if the federal shutdown continues.
Gov. Gavin Newsom said he will deploy the California National Guard to assist food banks and spend up to $80 million to fill in gaps caused by delayed benefits to millions of Californians.
“Trump’s failure isn’t abstract — it’s literally taking food out of people’s mouths. This is serious, this is urgent — and requires immediate action,” Newsom said in a statement.
Long Beach food banks and pantries are already in dire straits.
Kristen Cox, executive director of Long Beach Community Table, which offers a food pantry and grocery delivery service to 7,000 people a week, said it’s “a Herculean task” just to pay her employees and power the lights and refrigerators.
“There’s just no financial resources coming our way anymore,” she said. “I haven’t taken a paycheck since March.”
She said many Long Beach food banks are fighting to stay afloat while continuing to feed residents, and that the CalFresh delays will only exacerbate the problem: As more people are struggling to meet basic needs, fewer people can donate to ameliorate the problem, she said.
“What you’re going to see — it’s already happening — is an increase in desperate behavior,” Cox said, from crime to violence to abuse. “A lot of people are just not going to make it.”
Still, local food assistance programs “try to keep up,” Dohrmann said. “We never want to turn anyone away.”
Where to get help
Christian Outreach in Action operates a food bank Monday through Friday at 515 E 3rd St., Long Beach, CA 90802. Hot meals are available every day.
Long Beach Community Table has open hours for free food Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday at 3311 E 59th St., Long Beach, CA 90805. Delivery is available pending application, and weekend food pickup is available at eight additional locations.
Lutheran Social Services of Southern California offers food assistance five days a week at 1611 Pine Ave., Long Beach, CA 90813.
Long Beach City College students can access food assistance through the Viking Vault and Cal State Long Beach students can visit the Beach Pantry.
The Long Beach Center for Economic Inclusion has additional information on local food pantries, and the city has published a list of food assistance resources. Community members in need of food can also dial 211 to speak with someone about local resources.