BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) \u2014 A new potential state budget poses a drastic cut on grants for California food banks.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat we\u2019re saying is don\u2019t cut food, especially at this time. It\u2019s so fundamental, everyone needs it and it\u2019s a building block,\u201d Jared Call with the California Association of Food Banks said.<\/p>\n
A 90% cut. $80 million to $8 million.<\/p>\n
At the state level, the California Association of Food Banks<\/a> serves 6 million people a month through 43 food banks.<\/p>\n In Kern County, the need for support is even more apparent.<\/p>\n \u201cThe reality is that 1 in 5 people here in Kern County are food insecure, and so if it doesn\u2019t affect you, it affects someone close to you,\u201d Kelly Lowery with the Community Action Partnership of Kern Food Bank said.<\/p>\n Baristas vote to unionize at east Bakersfield Starbucks <\/a><\/p>\n CAPK<\/a> is\u00a0a local food bank that assists more than 200 food distribution centers in the county.<\/p>\n If the proposed budget is approved, their outreach will look a lot different.<\/p>\n \u201cWe wouldn\u2019t reduce any sites, but there would be a lot more empty shelves,\u201d said Lowery.<\/p>\n That would include shelves at Bakersfield College\u2019s food pantries, a service many students rely upon for daily nutrition.<\/p>\n \u201cHow can we ask our students to do well in the classroom when their stomachs are grumbling and they\u2019re hungry,\u201d Cesar Jimenez, the vice president of Student Services at Bakersfield College said.<\/p>\n Research shows that 46% of students deal with food insecurity.<\/p>\n Making food pantries, like the ones across Bakersfield college is a necessity, not an option.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s so important that we have access to nutritional food because there is a link between academic success and food security,\u201d Hunter More, the vice president of Student Government at Bakersfield College said.<\/p>\n Bakersfield College\u2019s Renegade Food Pantry serves an average of 8,000 students a month, some juggling other costs at the expense of food.<\/p>\n