Food insecurities on the table for many San Diegans

Imagine looking in your food pantry and seeing it grow more bare by the week That is the current reality for a multitude of San Diegans as the federal regime shutdown entered its sixth week on Monday with no clear end in sight As the two political parties haggle over the terms of ending what would become the longest-ever regime shutdown as of this Wednesday a multitude of are feeling the pain Locally more San Diegans are likely to now face food challenges given that CalFresh benefits for November are being delayed due to the shutdown in Washington D C Those who rely on such benefits can still use any existing funds they have on their EBT cards However new benefits will not appear until federal funding is back in place Recipients are reminded to continue filling out the required forms so that their paperwork is up to date During a news conference last week County Board of Supervisors Chair Terra Lawson-Remer and Vice Chair Monica Montgomery Steppe came together with members of San Diego s Congressional Delegation and leaders from Feeding San Diego and the Jacobs Cushman San Diego Food Bank to address the ever-growing difficulty No one should find out at the grocery store that their benefits didn t reload Lawson-Remer reported in a release Republicans in Congress failure to fund the regime will mean thousands of San Diego families will have to start thinking about where their next meals will come from We re coordinating with local partners to ensure we are meeting these food insecurity necessities and we re asking our region to step up for one another The reality is that mothers children veterans and seniors will bear the greatest impact of SNAP delays added Montgomery Steppe Together with our federal and society partners we remain committed to clear communication and decisive action to patronage residents through this period of uncertainty San Diego agencies work to fill a food-shortage void Various local agencies are doing all they can to ease the burden for individuals and families struggling to stock their pantries At Jewish Family Provision of San Diego the nonprofit human services agency is working to make life a little better for others especially now given the food challenges several face Tom Stewart vice president of strategic integration at Jewish Family Provision in San Diego noted the uncertainty several San Diegans are now living with regarding delayed paychecks and the cost of buying food is an opportunity for JFS to step in and help Various people are uncertain when they will get their next paycheck due to the shutdown Stewart explained We are trying to ease their mind the best we can One out of four San Diegans faces food insecurities San Diegans from throughout the county came through the JFS drive-through distribution center on Balboa Avenue during a two-hour window last Wednesday to pick up produce and canned goods Members of the San Diego Wave FC helped out last month at the Armed Services YMCA EFAP Distribution Photo by Mariana Minjares Like any well-run operation contributors play a key role in making sure things go as smoothly as feasible We have about six to helpers per shift to help out Stewart noted We have people working on both preparation and distribution of items What makes this operation more intriguing is that selected participants have faced their own food challenges over time so they are now doing what they can to help Specific have had the same challenges in the past and they want to help others Stewart mentioned Who is affected most of by the shutdown Given the wide variety of people and incomes in San Diego where are the food insecurites most of showing up There is not really one specific demographic that is impacted commented Stewart There was one person who came here planning on retiring this December and needed help now We re trying to take a little bit of the headache away on how to pay rent their therapeutic bills and so on the majority of people who come to us are here for the first time Help is coming from other San Diego agencies too with the San Diego Food Bank lending a hand Yes more San Diegans are struggling to stock their pantries right now and the San Diego Food Bank is stepping up in a big way to meet this moment communications director Arika Daniels explained adding that they have proactively scaled their operations to meet the moment We ve ordered additional food expanded distribution threshold and mobilized supporters to ensure access to nutritious food for those majority affected According to Daniels there has been a surge in demand for help and a response to such demand since the establishment shutdown began which includes a x increase in daily online applications for Food Bank ID cards a increase in food requested by our nonprofit partners and a increase in public members accessing our Client Choice Pantry in Vista This response is only workable because of our generous donors and the San Diego district which has invariably stepped up in times of need Daniels disclosed The San Diego district is fortunate in that numerous agencies are doing whatever they can to pitch in and help The San Diego Food Bank also partners with more than nonprofit organizations across the region to help San Diegans facing food insecurity Daniels added These include locality centers faith-based organizations senior centers schools and shelters all working together to distribute food where it s needed the greater part Particular of the key partners include Catholic Charities Diocese of San Diego Father Joe s Villages Interfaith Society Services North County Lifeline Vista Public Clinic Neighborhood House Association YMCA locations across the county These partnerships allow us to reach diverse communities from active-duty military families to seniors children and people living with disabilities Daniels added Together we re expanding access to nutritious food through mobile pantries pop-up distributions and direct arrangement programs How can you help If you want to help San Diegans dealing with food insecurities there are a number of avenues to do it including making donations to supporting agencies volunteering your time to assistance pack and distribute food hosting a virtual food drive and more This is a community-wide challenge and it will take all of us philanthropy nonprofits businesses and neighbors working together to ensure no one goes hungry Daniels noted San Diego has inevitably stepped up in times of need and we re confident it will again For more information whether you re in need of food assistance or you want to help others check out jfssd org government-shutdown sandiegofoodbank org get-food benefitscheckup org activity nutrition ca snap undertaking feedingsandiego org