South Bay nonprofit leaders and government officials are racing to surge food aid into the region, as low-income residents brace for a sudden halt to the federal food stamps program.
The halt of funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), known as CalFresh in California, amid a federal government shutdown has led to dire warnings of widespread hunger and financial hardship for low-income residents in Santa Clara County. When the end of food aid takes effect Saturday, it will stem the flow of the roughly $25.5 million in federal food assistance funneled to the county each month, according to officials.
Santa Clara County officials on Thursday announced they will be surging food aid support by roughly $4.5 million in the coming weeks. This will buttress the funding surge announced by Gov. Gavin Newsom last week, though county leaders acknowledge it still doesn’t match the scale of the shortfall that will likely result from the cessation of benefits.
“All of us should be allowed to rely on our social services as a safety net,” Otto Lee, president of the Board of Supervisors, said at a news conference. “It’s abhorrent that this administration is trying to strip away our families nutrition and basic food needs.”
More than 133,000 people receive support from CalFresh in Santa Clara County, officials said.
Once the program runs out of funding, those residents will cease to receive CalFresh payments, which can be used to purchase groceries. For an individual, the maximum monthly allotment through the program is $298 and for a family of four it’s $994.
One local food stamp recipient, who declined to give her name to protect her privacy, said her mind began to race when she learned of the impending drawdown.
“Oh, my God. What are my kids gonna eat?” she told San José Spotlight. “How are we gonna get food? How am I gonna pay my bills?”
The San Jose resident relies on CalFresh benefits to support her eight-member household made up of her kids and grandchildren. On Wednesday, three days before the benefits were about to end, she was waiting in line for groceries during a twice-weekly food distribution event held at the Cathedral of Faith in the edge of Willow Glen.
The county’s $4.5 million funding boost, which comes from its contingency reserve, will go to support Second Harvest of Silicon Valley. The food bank serves 500,000 people each month in Santa Clara and San Mateo counties. Last week, Newsom’s administration announced it would also surge funds for the agency through a $3.2 million funding advance, part of a larger effort to provide food aid to charitable organizations throughout the state.
Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors President Otto Lee delivered a message of solidarity with the county’s low-income residents during an Oct. 30, 2025 news conference in San Jose, held in response to the impending loss of federal food benefits. Photo by Keith Menconi.
In addition to the extra funding support, county officials say they are working to inform residents about the benefits disruption. The county’s Social Services Agency has sent text message to all CalFresh recipients in English, Spanish and Vietnamese and has activated an internal response team to coordinate the response effort with schools and local nonprofits.
But even with such support, there is concern that word may not reach many non-native English speakers in need of food assistance.
“There is going to be a big challenge for those that don’t know where to go for food,” Laura Delgado, a program director for Amigos de Guadalupe, told San José Spotlight.
Delgado, whose organizations provides housing and other services for the residents who live in the predominantly Latino neighborhood of East San Jose, urged other nonprofits to ramp up efforts to provide language-appropriate outreach about food aid programs.
Second Harvest CEO Leslie Bacho warned even with the extra support, local food nonprofits will still likely struggle to meet the surge in demand for aid that is only now just beginning to take shape.
“We don’t want people to worry that we’re going to close sites or run out of food,” she told San José Spotlight. “We’re going to do all we can to be able to stretch to meet the need.”
Still, Bacho and other nonprofit leaders involved in food aid distribution said their services are likely to take a hit. As a result, low-income residents could receive smaller food donations, especially when it comes to more expensive food products such as eggs, milk and meat.
These leaders say as food support drops off, low-income residents will face increasing financial pressure as they direct a growing share of their income toward their food budget. As a result, many could fall behind on rent, utility bills and other financial obligations.
Demone Carter, a spokesperson for San Jose-based charitable nonprofit Sacred Heart Community Services, expects the economic fallout to be felt widely.
“This is going to broaden human suffering that is already happening here in the Valley,” Carter told San José Spotlight.
Low-income residents who spoke with the San José Spotlight agreed the financial pain from the loss of benefits will likely be severe. Without the financial support from CalFresh, Ana Flores, who is raising two kids in San Jose, said she will likely need to go hungry herself in order to make sure her kids have enough to eat.
“I prefer feeding my kids and making sure they’re not hungry,” she told San José Spotlight.
She was among the hundreds of people who turned out for the Wednesday morning food distribution at the Willow Glen church, organized by the nonprofit Reaching Out Center.
Chris, who only gave his first name for privacy reasons, was also in line and equally worried about food insecurity.
“I’m going to have to go to places like this more often,” the 60-year-old with mobility challenges told San José Spotlight. “It’s hard to get out and move around.”
Throughout Santa Clara County, a bevy of nonprofits, government agencies and independent do-gooders carry out a wide variety of food aid services. This includes everything from operating massive food banks, like Second Harvest, to mobile food distributions that see volunteers deliver fresh meals to homeless people in far-flung encampments throughout the region. Some food assistance programs also focus on specific populations particularly vulnerable to hunger, such as TRIO Community Meals, an organization that provides meals to older adults at San Jose community centers.
With county and state dollars still falling short, Delgado, along with other nonprofit leaders, have issued an urgent call to South Bay residents to step in as well and increase their own donations to local charitable food nonprofits. Some local restaurants are also offering free and discounted meals. Some local restaurants are also offering free and discounted meals.
“It will take the community to step in and step up,” Delgado said.
Contact Keith Menconi at [email protected] or @KeithMenconi on X.
South Bay food distribution centers
San Jose
Second Harvest of Silicon Valley food bank
Provides a food locator to find groceries or ready meals to go throughout the South Bay
https://www.shfb.org/get-food/?filter_mode=distribution/
The Salvation Army Silicon Valley Food Pantry
Hours: Monday -Friday 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. (walk up basis, bring bags or a cart)
https://siliconvalley.salvationarmy.org/silicon_valley
359 N. 4th St. San Jose, CA 95112
408-282-1165
Lighthouse Food Rescue and Distribution
309 N. 17th St. San Jose, CA 95112
Hours: 12-5 p.m. daily
Santa Maria Urban Ministry of San Jose Food Pantry
778 South Almaden Ave. San Jose, CA 95110
Hours:
Monday to Friday 9-11:45 a.m.
Every first and third Saturday 9-11:45 a.m.
Sacred Heart Community Service
1381 S. 1st St. San Jose, CA 95110
Hours:
Monday, Wednesday, Thursday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Tuesday 9 a.m. to 6p.m.
Friday 9 a.m to 12 p.m.
Closed Saturday and Sunday
https://www.sacredheartcs.org/
408-478-2160
New Beginnings Family Services
100 W. Alma Ave. San Jose, CA 95110
Hours:
Monday, Wednesday, Saturday 10-11 a.m.
Monday, Wednesday evenings 6-7 p.m.
Hunger at Home at San Jose Flea Market
Drive-thru food distribution every Monday 9-10 a.m.
San Jose Flea Market at 1411 Maybury Road
Bay Area Maranatha Christian Center
1811 S. 7th St., Suite B San Jose, CA
Hours: Monday-Friday 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
https://www.maranathacc.com/food-pantry
408-280-7729
Cathedral of Faith
2315 Canoas Garden Ave. San Jose, CA 95125
Hours: Wednesday and Thursday 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
https://reachingoutcenter.org/
Sunnyvale
Sunnyvale Community Services Food Pantry
160 Kern Avenue, Sunnyvale, CA 94085
Hours: Every Wednesday 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
408-738-4321
West Valley
West Valley Community Services Market
10104 Vista Dr, Cupertino, CA 95014
Hours:
Monday to Friday 9:30-11:30 a.m.
Monday to Wednesday 2-4 p.m.
Thursday 4-7 p.m.
Friday 2-4 p.m.
https://www.wvcommunityservices.org/food
408- 255-8033
West Valley Community Services
Park-It -Market (mobile services)
https://www.wvcommunityservices.org/mobile
For mobile service call Donald Akimoto at 408-471-6123
or email [email protected].
Campbell
St. Lucy’s Parish
2350 S. Winchester Blvd. Campbell, CA
Drive thru grocery boxes, small pantry style
Hours: Friday 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.
https://www.ccscc.org/free-food-distribution-1?locale=en