BANKS ABOUT THE INCREASED NEED. HOW MANY PEOPLE DO YOU HAVE IN YOUR FAMILY FOR SO YOU GET TWO? IT’S MID-OCTOBER AND FOOD BANKS ARE BRACING FOR AN IMPACT. YOU CAN HAVE THREE OF THESE. DEMAND IS ALREADY SURGING, AND WITH THE HOLIDAYS AROUND THE CORNER, FOOD BANKS ARE PREPARING FOR THEIR BUSIEST STRETCH OF THE YEAR. EACH MONTH IT GOES UP BY A COUPLE HUNDRED NEW CLIENTS. SO THAT’S PRETTY HUGE FOR US IN SACRAMENTO COUNTY. HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS RELY ON FOOD ASSISTANCE AND OTHER SERVICES, INCLUDING THIS ELK GROVE MAN. I HAVE SMALL KIDS. THEY PROVIDE DIAPERS FOR THEM. YEAH, AND FRESH FOOD. EVERYTHING THEY PROVIDE. SO IT’S REALLY HELPFUL FOR THEM, FOR MY FAMILY. BUT THIS SEASON, IT’S NOT JUST THE HOLIDAYS DRIVING THE DEMAND. THERE’S ANOTHER CRISIS LOOMING. AS WE HEAD INTO THE HOLIDAYS. WE EXPECT THAT NUMBER TO CONTINUE TO INCREASE. TO COMPOUND THAT EFFECT, THE GOVERNMENT SHUT DOWN. RIGHT NOW. IT MEANS THAT FEDERAL EMPLOYEES IN OUR AREA, OF WHICH THERE ARE THOUSANDS, ARE NOT RECEIVING PAYCHECKS, AND THEY MAY TURN TO US FOR ASSISTANCE AS WELL. AT ELK GROVE FOOD BANK SERVICES, THEY’RE ALREADY SEEING FEDERAL EMPLOYEES WALK THROUGH THEIR DOORS. A TROUBLING SIGN IN A YEAR MARKED BY FEDERAL FUNDING CUTS. WE’VE HAD TO PURCHASE MORE FOOD THAN WE EVER HAD. BEFORE JUST TO MEET OUR DEMAND. OVER $100,000 HAS COME OUT OF OUR DONATION GENERAL FUND JUST TO KEEP UP WITH THE DEMAND. SO THAT’S WE’VE NEVER HAD TO DO THAT BEFORE. DESPITE THE CHALLENGES, SACRAMENTO FOOD BANK AND FAMILY SERVICES SAYS THEY’RE READY TO MEET THE DEMAND THROUGH THE REST OF THE YEAR. WE FRONT LOAD A LOT OF OUR ORDERS THAT ARE COMING FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT. ALSO, WE PREPLAN SOME OF OUR OWN ORDERS. THE STATE STEPPED UP WITH GREAT CAL FOOD FUNDING THAT ALLOWS US TO PURCHASE CALIFORNIA GROWN PRODUCTS FOR OUR NEIGHBORS IN NEED. SO WE DO FEEL CONFIDENT THAT EVEN WITH RISING DEMAND, WE’LL BE ABLE TO MEET THAT NEED. IN ELK GROVE, MARICELA DE LA CRUZ KCRA THREE NEWS. IF THE SHUTDOWN CONTINUES, SNAP AND CALFRESH BENEFITS COULD BE IMPACTED NEXT MONTH. HERE IN SACRAMENTO COUNTY, THERE AR
Sacramento food banks face increased demand amid government shutdown
Updated: 6:18 PM PDT Oct 20, 2025
As the government shutdown continues, Sacramento food banks are experiencing increased demand, with federal workers seeking assistance and the holidays approaching.”Each month it goes up by a couple hundred new clients, so that’s pretty huge for us,” said Marie Jericho from Elk Grove Food Bank Services.In Sacramento County, hundreds of thousands rely on food assistance and other services, including an Elk Grove man who said they help provide his small children with diapers and fresh food.”It’s really helpful for them, for my family,” he said.”As we head into the holidays, we expect that number to continue to increase,” said Kevin Buffalino from Sacramento Food Bank & Family Services. “To compound that effect, the government shutdown right now means that federal employees in our area, who are thousands, are not receiving paychecks, and they may turn to us for assistance as well.”At Elk Grove Food Bank Services, federal employees are already seeking help, a troubling sign in a year marked by federal funding cuts. “We’ve had to purchase more food than we ever had before just to meet our demand,” Jericho said. “Over $100,000 has come out of our donation general fund just to keep up with the demand. We’ve never had to do that before.”Despite these challenges, Sacramento Food Bank and Family Services remains prepared to meet the demand through the rest of the year. “We frontload a lot of our orders that are coming from the federal government, and we also preplan some of our own orders,” Buffalino said. “The state stepped up with great Cal Food funding that allows us to purchase California-grown products from our neighbors in need, so we do feel confident that even with rising demand, we’ll be able to meet that need.”If the shutdown continues, SNAP and Cal Fresh benefits could be impacted next month. In Sacramento County, there are about 250,000 people currently on CalFresh benefits.See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel
SACRAMENTO, Calif. —
As the government shutdown continues, Sacramento food banks are experiencing increased demand, with federal workers seeking assistance and the holidays approaching.
“Each month it goes up by a couple hundred new clients, so that’s pretty huge for us,” said Marie Jericho from Elk Grove Food Bank Services.
In Sacramento County, hundreds of thousands rely on food assistance and other services, including an Elk Grove man who said they help provide his small children with diapers and fresh food.
“It’s really helpful for them, for my family,” he said.
“As we head into the holidays, we expect that number to continue to increase,” said Kevin Buffalino from Sacramento Food Bank & Family Services. “To compound that effect, the government shutdown right now means that federal employees in our area, who are thousands, are not receiving paychecks, and they may turn to us for assistance as well.”
At Elk Grove Food Bank Services, federal employees are already seeking help, a troubling sign in a year marked by federal funding cuts.
“We’ve had to purchase more food than we ever had before just to meet our demand,” Jericho said. “Over $100,000 has come out of our donation general fund just to keep up with the demand. We’ve never had to do that before.”
Despite these challenges, Sacramento Food Bank and Family Services remains prepared to meet the demand through the rest of the year.
“We frontload a lot of our orders that are coming from the federal government, and we also preplan some of our own orders,” Buffalino said. “The state stepped up with great Cal Food funding that allows us to purchase California-grown products from our neighbors in need, so we do feel confident that even with rising demand, we’ll be able to meet that need.”
If the shutdown continues, SNAP and Cal Fresh benefits could be impacted next month. In Sacramento County, there are about 250,000 people currently on CalFresh benefits.
See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel