BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) \u2014 With potential cuts to state and federal food assistance programs on the horizon, anxiety is growing across campus and the broader community.<\/p>\n
Hunter Moore, a senior and Vice President at Bakersfield College, says the uncertainty is already taking a toll.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt does create a general sense of anxiety, worry, maybe even some anger,\u201d Moore explained.<\/p>\n
As the new fiscal year approaches on July 1, proposed reductions in funding for key programs threaten to limit access to essential resources. For many students, food banks are not a backup they are a necessity.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe rely on food banks sometimes just to make ends meet, to have that source of nutritious food,\u201d Moore said.<\/p>\n
He\u2019s far from alone. <\/p>\n
According to Bakersfield College, roughly 5,000 students depend on the Renegade Food Bank, which distributes an average of 8,000 meals each month.<\/p>\n
Concerns escalated earlier this week when Jared Call, a representative from CalFoods, warned of what he called a \u201cperfect storm\u201d of hunger and hardship.<\/p>\n
\u201cRight now is the perfect storm of hunger and hardship coming to California,\u201d Call said. \u201cWe have seen federal cuts over the past year to the federal commodities program that provides food to food banks, and we have also seen rising food costs.\u201d<\/p>\n
Call added that funding for CalFoods could drop by as much as 90%, decreasing from $80 million to just $8 million.<\/p>\n
Local organizations are already feeling the strain. <\/p>\n
At Community Action Partnership of Kern (CAPK), officials say donations alone are not enough to meet demand.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe actually purchase a lot of food to supplement what\u2019s been donated,\u201d said Kelly Lowery of CAPK. \u201cUnfortunately, what gets donated is very volatile one month we may get a lot, the next month we might not get that much.\u201d<\/p>\n
In 2025, CAPK provided more than 18 million meals to approximately 50,000 families many of whom could be directly affected by the proposed cuts.<\/p>\n
Dr. Cesar Jimenez, Vice President of Student Services at Bakersfield College, emphasized the broader impact on student success.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe need to be fully funded at the $80 million,\u201d Jimenez said. \u201cIt\u2019s not only impacting California and Kern County, but our students. How can we ask our students to do well in the classroom when we know they are hungry?\u201d<\/p>\n
As uncertainty grows, students like Moore are calling for action and accountability from local leaders.<\/p>\n
\u201cI would like them to get out there in the community, talk to people one-on-one, host town halls something to bring the community together to address this concern,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
For many in Bakersfield, the message is clear: access to food is not just a social issue it\u2019s an educational and economic one. <\/p>\n
Community members say they want their voices heard before critical support systems are reduced, leaving thousands at risk of going hungry.<\/p>\n