Food insecurity persists in U.S. California despite return of food assistance

SACRAMENTO, the United States, Nov. 26 (Xinhua) -- Food banks and pantries across California state remained overwhelmed even as federal food assistance benefits returned to U.S. households, local media reported Tuesday.

CalFresh, California's version of the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program that provides food assistance to low-income families, resumed distribution earlier this month following the historic 43-day government shutdown, ABC News said.

Santa Clara County has disbursed roughly 25.5 million U.S. dollars in CalFresh benefits each month to about 133,000 residents. County supervisors also approved 4.5 million in emergency funding in early November, though officials acknowledged this covers only a fraction of the shortfall.

Despite CalFresh resuming distribution, food pantries in Sacramento County reported continued high demand with backlogs of clients and dwindling supplies, the report said.

The Redwood Empire Food Bank, which serves several counties in the San Francisco Bay Area, reported over 2,100 households seeking food support in a single day in early November, a 33 percent increase from the daily average of approximately 1,600 households. Over 500 new individuals signed up for assistance in just one week, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.

Similar trends were reported elsewhere: the Alameda County Community Food Bank saw a nearly 200 percent rise in calls to its Emergency Food Helpline, and the San Francisco-Marin Food Bank experienced a 205 percent spike in online traffic in 30 days.

In late October, California Governor Gavin Newsom allocated 80 million dollars in state funding to food banks statewide and activated the National Guard to assist with food distribution.

However, the financial hardship caused by the shutdown and prolonged uncertainty has left lasting damage, according to media reports.