Latest news with #CalFood
CBS News
18-04-2025
- Business
- CBS News
Major federal, state funding cuts leave uncertain future for Sacramento food banks
SACRAMENTO — Big funding cuts are coming to food banks at both the state and federal levels. The Sacramento Food Bank and Family Services distributed about 40 million pounds of food in 2024. Susana Liston, who gets her groceries at the food bank, calls it a lifeline for so many. It is the place where she can stock up on free fuel to feel her best. "It means surviving, being healthy and being able to eat," Liston said. Now, a full cart and full belly for thousands of Sacramentans could be at risk because of major funding cuts. "We had 400,000 pounds of food that we had already ordered and expected to receive from that program, 11 truckloads that are no longer going to be showing up," said Kevin Buffalino, the director of communications of the Sacramento Food Bank and Family Services. Buffalino said the federal government pulled the plug on the U.S. Department of Agriculture program that sent 1.4 million pounds of food to Sacramento last year. "This year, we were almost at that already. One million pounds," he said. Other Biden administration-era dollars are also dwindling under the Trump White House; $2.3 million that the Sacramento Food Bank received is set to run out in July 2026. The CalFood program is also taking a significant hit in the state's budget, dropping from $60 million to $8 million. The Sacramento food bank was getting about $2 million a year, but Buffalino said they will be back to $200,000-$250,000. The food bank is feeding 310,000 people per month, which is double what it was feeding pre-pandemic. Buffalino said he is grateful for the community support they receive and will need to rely even more on local donors and volunteers. "To me, there is nothing more important to feeding our local community, so I have been a donor for years," said Sharon Hamer, who was volunteering at the food bank for the first time with her sister-in-law. Buffalino said the cuts will not cause them to close their doors, but they could mean less food and less variety come next year. "I don't even want to think about it," Liston said. "It is stressful and it is sad." Local Assemblymember Stephanie Nguyen is leading the charge to secure more state funding through CalFood . She is advocating to add $52 million in funding to bring the total back up to $60 million. Her office sent CBS13 this statement:
Yahoo
21-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Bay Area food banks feeling impact of federal cuts
SOLANO, Calif. (KRON) — Federal freezes on funding are impacting food assistance programs and Bay Area food banks are already feeling the pinch. KRON4 visited the Food Bank of Contra Costa in Solano to see how it was navigating through major gaps in funding — and how people can help. 'Right now, we're seeing a lot of uncertainty,' said Caitlin Sly, president and CEO of the Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano. Sly said that individual donations are already down 5% year-over-year. The Trump administration's federal funding freeze on two programs is impacting the nonprofit's operations. Since the end of January, it's been crippling, according to Sly. Wildflowers poised to bloom in Bay Area 'One, to the emergency food assistance program, which is USDA commodities that we provide to people in need,' Sly said. The other cut is to the local food purchase assistance cooperative agreement program, which is limiting the food bank's ability to buy fresh produce from locally owned farms. 'That was money that we were expecting to come in over the next year that will not be coming in,' Sly said. Additionally, the CalFood program is facing potential cuts. Sly says it is staring at an 87% reduction in the current state budget proposal — a drop from $62 million in funding to just $8 million. 'Our food bank has used that to buy fresh produce, to buy fresh protein, eggs, meat — things of that nature,' Sly said. 'The things that our clients want the most, and, the things that are most expensive to buy in the grocery stores.' Although the federal cuts have already happened, Sly says there is still time to save CalFood. In the meantime, the food bank can sustain its current level of services for six months. After that, without federal dollars, Sly says the food bank will struggle to keep up with growing demand from food insecure families. 'For CalFood, that is a potential cut. That's not a cut that's been made yet, so people can advocate with their state legislature. People can also donate to help us fill that gap,' said Sly. Each month, the food bank serves 65,000 households and provides enough food for 2.7 million meals. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
CBS News
11-03-2025
- Business
- CBS News
East Bay food banks hit hard by slashed government funding
The freeze on government spending disrupting business across the country is hitting one segment of the Bay Area's population especially hard as local food banks feel the pinch. In Contra Costa and Solano counties, food bank officials are sounding the alarm about how cuts in funding from both federal and state governments are going to hurt an increasing number of families in need. At the Monday food giveaway outside Concord's Monument Crisis Center, you can see who the "have nots" are. Shockingly, they look a lot like our grandparents. A steady stream of elderly people lined up to get their allotment of fresh produce. Vicky Schroebel has been volunteering for the Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano since 2020 and she's watched as the number of people who need food has grown. "It climbed measurably during the pandemic, and then it climbed after that, after the support kind of went away," explained Schroebel. "And two weeks ago, our crowd here was 40 or 50 people more than we'd been getting. So the numbers are climbing already." That's why news of government budget cuts are so disturbing to her. "It worries me to pieces," she said. "Even before this, food insecurity and housing insecurity were our two biggest challenges. And if the funding gets cut off, we've got families and individuals and kids and older folks who aren't going to have food to eat." At the food bank's headquarters, it comes down to dollars and cents. While community donations are important, most of the food handed out is purchased at a discount from farmers and distributors. Like a large pile of bagged potatoes that were donated, but the food bank had to pay to transport them from Washington State. Food bank President and CEO Caitlin Sly said it's the kind of thing that has been halted with the federal government's freeze on FEMA's Emergency Food and Shelter Program. "We are looking at potential cuts," said Sly. "We've already seen some cuts and the way that that could potentially impact the people we serve is really dire." But it's not just the Trump administration. The state of California is also proposing an 87% cut in the amount of funding it sends to food banks to feed the needy through the CalFood program. "This was state funding that was really increased during the pandemic, and now is going back to pre-pandemic levels," said Sly. "But the need has not gone back to pre-pandemic levels." Much of the relief funds to food banks are distributed through United Way Bay Area. Laura Escobar, the nonprofit's VP of Safety Net Services, said the cuts will have real consequences. "So there'll be more demand. There'll be more people lining up. And there will be hunger. Kids will go to bed hungry. Adults will give their food to their kids, and they will go to bed hungry. It will happen," said Escobar. Back at the Concord food giveaway, Schroebel said she doesn't believe the government, on any level, is really thinking about how this is affecting people. "I'm horrified," she said. "If we can't take care of the people in our communities who need food and support, then what are we doing as a society?" Just in Contra Costa and Solano Counties alone, the Food Bank distributes enough food to provide more than 2.7 million meals each month. They are desperately asking companies and individuals who want to donate money during these uncertain times to call or visit their website at
