"'I ain't gonna go hungry,' Jeffries said, explaining that he'll use his $200 on groceries. 'But at the end of the month I'll be at zero, zero, zero. I'll have to make some sacrifices.' He's also worried about the 'chaos' that could ensue in neighborhoods and stores if a large portion of the community goes hungry - especially as the meal-centric holiday season looms."
""The intensity of the moment is catching up to us," said Andrew Crispin, executive director of the Berkeley Food Network. His organization redistributes food it receives from the county food bank and elsewhere to some 30 different programs, and runs its own large pantry on 9th Street in Berkeley. That pantry has been serving about 700 households each day it's open, a 30% increase over the past couple of months, Crispin said."
Lawrence Jeffries typically has about $200 left near the end of each month while living in subsidized housing and receiving monthly CalFresh/SNAP benefits. A federal government shutdown has delayed SNAP funding, holding up CalFresh payments for roughly 5.5 million people in California and 179,000 in Alameda County. Recipients face finding other ways to feed their families if payments are not restored or a stopgap passes. Local food banks and pantries are experiencing surges in demand, panicked calls, long lines, and strain from furloughs and rising grocery prices. The Berkeley Food Network reports a 30% increase and about 700 households served daily. Undocumented immigrants often rely on pantries.
Read at The Oaklandside
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