The Employment and Human Services Department of Contra Costa County is rolling out emergency measures to protect food access for 107,000 residents, 55 percent of whom are children and seniors, as federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) support hangs in limbo, according to a statement from Supervisor John Gioia.
To cover November benefits, the County intends to distribute temporary debit cards worth roughly $573 per three-person family. Cards will be available at:
- 1305 MacDonald Ave., Richmond
- 151 Linus Pauling Dr., Hercules
- 400 Ellinwood Way, Pleasant Hill
- 4545 Delta Fair Blvd., Antioch
Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office will provide security for each location.
The proposal involved declaring a Local Emergency and tapping up to $21 million from rainy-day funds to keep the program running. Thanks to strong fiscal discipline and a AAA bond rating, the County is prepared, Gioia stated.
Beginning Monday, Nov. 3, the same locations will begin distributing food boxes to all families in need, CalFresh eligible or not, immigration status notwithstanding.
Although a federal court ruled today that SNAP must be funded during the shutdown, it may take one to two weeks to reload benefits onto EBT cards. The County said it is acting now so no one goes hungry.
For immediate food access, residents can visit the Contra Costa/Solano Food Bank “Find Food in My City Link” link to locate nearby pickup sites.
“We continue to work with our federal legislators to advocate for an immediate end to the harmful government shutdown,” Gioia said.
The failure to fund SNAP not only endangers families in need but financiallly impacts 706 retailers, mostly locally-owned neighborhood markets, that rely on sales to CalFresh families.
This story has been amended to clarify that the plan for emergency debit cards is a proposal that is subject to a vote Tuesday.