‘Super Bowl of food distribution' for CalFresh SNAP recipients most in need
As Californians began to feel the reality of no CalFresh SNAP benefits, this weekend, there was an unannounced, by invitation, mass food distribution in the parking lot of Snapdragon Stadium on Sunday.
The Jacobs & Cushman San Diego Food Bank partnered with the State of California, the City of San Diego, and San Diego State University in providing emergency food to the EBT recipients most in need.
“This is not just another food distribution, but it’s the Super Bowl of food distribution,” Casey Castillo, CEO of the San Diego Food Bank, told reporters Sunday during the event.
More than 63,000 pounds of food were provided for individuals and families who had been identified from the Food Bank database prior to the event.
On Saturday, the ongoing federal government shutdown caused funding to stop for CalFresh SNAP benefits. That left almost 400,000 San Diegans with no money on their EBT debit cards for groceries in November.
“I’m just sad, crushed, and disappointed with the system,” said LaTonia Scott-Davis, who was one of the first drivers in the line of recipients who received emergency food. The boxes and bags included fresh fruits and vegetables, eggs, and ground turkey. There was also a supply of canned non-perishable foods.
“It makes a big difference. Now we can eat for a day or two,” Scott-Davis said about the donations she was taking home for her family of four.
This is not just another food distribution, but it’s the Super Bowl of food distribution. Casey Castillo, CEO of the San Diego Food Bank
Food bank volunteers loaded cars and there was also support from the State of California AmeriCorps program.
“The country is looking to California because what we’re seeing is chaos and cruelty coming out of Washington, D.C., and people are looking for a better way,” said Josh Fryday, Go-Serve Director and California’s Chief Service Officer. Friday was at the distribution event along with San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria. They teamed up to help volunteers load donations into cars.
Maria Magana and a friend qualified for the drive-by distribution. They traveled together on Sunday from Chula Vista, where they live in an apartment building for senior citizens. Both women are widows on fixed incomes.
Magana said, “I’ll be able to eat now. You see, I depend on EBT. If I don’t have EBT, what am I going to do?”
The San Diego Food Bank has committed to providing an additional $300,000 to pay for an increase in food supply each week that the government shutdown continues.
The extra funding will be distributed to 450 community partner programs across the county.
