The Fresno City Council voted 7-0 on Thursday, Nov. 6, to allocate $250,000 to the Central California Food Bank in response to a lapse in SNAP benefits caused by the federal government shutdown.
The measure was sponsored by Councilmember Nelson Esparza, Mayor Jerry Dyer, and City Manager Georgeanne White. A reallocation from Esparza’s District 7 budget will provide $50,000, and the remaining $200,000 will come from Fresno’s General City Purpose Fund.
The ongoing federal government shutdown, which began Oct. 1 after Congress failed to reach a funding agreement, has become the longest in U.S. history. It has left thousands of federal employees working without pay and disrupted services nationwide. The lapse in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits prompted the council’s $250,000 allocation to support emergency food distribution by the Central California Food Bank.
“I trust this organization to be able to put the money out and translate it into groceries in Fresno families’ pantries as soon as possible,” Esparza said. “We’re going to feed families that otherwise wouldn’t have access to this food.”
The mayor highlighted the pervasive need in Fresno.
“One out of four families in our city live at or below the poverty line, and so many of the people rely heavily on these SNAP funds for food for their children,” Dyer said.
When voicing his support for the measure, Councilmember Brandon Vang said most people who use SNAP are hardworking Americans who need supplemental assistance. He noted recipients expecting assistance Nov. 1 are still waiting, even though a federal judge on Thursday ordered the government to release SNAP benefits.
“Yes, the court has ruled that the federal government should and must release, but it’s going to take some time before that trickles down to the recipients,” he said. “So, what can we do as the front line to make sure our residents are safe and they are healthy? That is at the very least we can do is to provide some sort of assistance.”
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