Federal freeze on money for food could hit more than 300,000 in Orange County – Orange County Register

Roughly 310,000 people in Orange County – including 94,000 children – soon could be scrambling for food, as federal programs that help feed more than 1 in 8 Americans are expected to run out of money as a result of the federal government shutdown now in its fourth week.

Officials with California’s Department of Social Services confirmed Thursday that they expect the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP – which in California is known as CalFresh – to go dark starting Nov. 1.

An Tran, director of the Orange County Social Services Agency, said Thursday that the Oct. 23 deadline is key because “it provides the state enough time to process all the benefits and load them onto individual EBT cards” to be used in November.

Hours after California and at least 24 other states confirmed plans to warn SNAP clients about the program’s short-term viability, senators in Washington said they might consider a bill to fund the program for the duration of the shutdown.

But many senators also were leaving town Thursday, and unless the broader shutdown is resolved in the coming days the earliest a SNAP funding bill could come up for a vote is the middle of next week. It’s unclear if that would be quick enough for benefits to be delivered without interruption.

For now, a suspension would temporarily discontinue federal support for SNAP and for a separate program, WIC (Women, Infants and Children), which helps get food to mothers and their newborns. Last year, federal taxpayers spent $99.8 billion on SNAP and $7.2 billion on WIC.

Both programs are widely used, nationally and in Orange County.

About 42 million Americans are currently enrolled in SNAP or state versions of the program, according to federal and state statistics. More than 6 in 10 (62%) of those recipients are families with young children, older people living below the poverty line, or disabled. They receive, on average, about $189 a month, or $6.22 a day, to help pay for nutrition. Roughly 4 in 10 (38%) of SNAP clients work, but earn wages low enough to qualify for federal help to buy groceries.

Another 6.74 million mothers and newborns and toddlers – including more than 62,000 in Orange County – get help from WIC in any given month. Federal data shows that WIC feeds more than 4 in 10 (41%) of all newborns in the United States.

County data shows similar patterns for local beneficiaries of both programs.

Suspending SNAP and WIC could be devastating in Orange County, setting off a chain of need that could strain an already-fraying safety net that helps lower-income people stay fed. Many local families who use CalFresh or WIC already seek some free food to supplement their diets each month, and they’ll be forced to turn even more to a network of more than 500 food pantries and food banks spread throughout the county.

Some people who run those food programs said Thursday that they’re bracing for a run on supply that could drag on through the holiday season.

“We don’t know if it’s going to be two days, two weeks or two months. We’re preparing for anything,” said Claudia Bonilla Keller, chief executive of Second Harvest Food Bank, which collects and distributes food to about 380 food pantries and others throughout Orange County.

Keller added that even if the Senate approves emergency funding for SNAP, her organization has already launched a plan to make more food available in early November.

Food-oriented nonprofits already have seen an upturn because of the shutdown. About 10,000 federal workers live in Orange County, and though many are furloughed – meaning they’re not working while they’re not being paid – more than 300 TSA workers continue to work at John Wayne Airport without pay.

Keller said that a food pantry opened this week in the TSA employee lounge at John Wayne.

“Those are people who are working close to round the clock, and don’t have time to get help, but they aren’t getting a paycheck,” Keller said. “If they need help, we need to provide it.”

People who actually use CalFresh described any suspension of that assistance in dire terms.

“It’s scary, man. Really scary,” said Javier Ibarra of Santa Ana. “If they cut that off, I can’t say how I’ll get what my kids need.”

Ibarra, 51, said that when he started using CalFresh and food from food banks earlier this year, it was the first time since his childhood that he’d sought any kind of public assistance. He usually works more than full-time in gardening and home construction but, in recent months, he’s declined some work opportunities because he’s fearful of immigration enforcement.

“I have a Green Card. I’m legal. But if they pick you up and take you away, it can take a long time to get back. And that’s not OK for my family either.”

Ibarra said the CalFresh cards he uses at grocery stores, and food boxes that his girlfriend picks up from a pantry near their home, are essential for a family that includes the couple plus a teenage son and two younger children.

“It all helps,” he said. “I can’t believe that this might happen.”

Any cutback to CalFresh also could have a broader impact on businesses in Orange County. Virtually every penny allocated for food assistance is spent in the recipient’s community. And a recent study from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities found that each CalFresh dollar spent generates about $1.50 for the broader economy.

Tran, from the Social Services Agency, said Orange County spends about $62 million a month on CalFresh.

“About 98 to 99 percent of CalFresh benefits are spent in the local economy, at mom and pop stores selling food and fresh produce,” Tran said.

He also noted that the income level to receive CalFresh in Orange County is about $32,000 for a family of four.

“Even though $62 million a month sounds like a lot of money, it’s all going toward families who are very needy,” he said.