ENCINITAS — As the federal government continues to experience its longest shut down in history, implementing chaotic pauses in SNAP benefits and delayed paychecks for federal workers and military service members, North County organizations are feeling the impacts of increased food insecurity.
One organization facing this first-hand is the Community Resource Center (CRC) in Encinitas, which offers a variety of social services to low-income families in North County, including providing free food to over 600 households a month.
In the past week, CRC officials say the organization has seen around 50 new clients requesting food, many of whom have large families they need to feed. This increased need has put a strain on the center’s resources, with volunteers working late into the night when shelves and refrigerators sit largely empty until new deliveries come in the morning.
“It’s not just the number of visits, but the household side that is adding a demand,” said CRC Volunteer Manager Sara Rosenbaum said. “You don’t want to say no to someone coming in with five kids.”
On Monday, CRC held a food drive to help bolster their supply, asking the community to donate high-need items such as fresh produce, canned meats and pastas, sauce, canned beans and vegetables, healthy snacks, and coffee.
Throughout the morning and early afternoon, community members drove to the alley behind the food pantry on Second Street to drop off goods. Local businesses, including Berger Hardware Inc. and Superior Floor and Cabinet Designs, have also been holding food drives benefitting CRC that are lasting until Dec. 15.
Macrina Ocampo, a CRC client who came to the client choice pantry at the Food and Nutrition Center on Monday, said she relies on the CRC for food to meet her family’s needs and also save money for other expenses.
She has three children, ages 3, 7, and 10, and recently found out Medi-Cal won’t cover one of their medications, adding another out-of-pocket expense for the family.
“Practically everything I make, well, it’s for rent, for bills, so there’s not enough,” Ocampo said, speaking in Spanish.
She said she likes coming to the CRC and expressed gratitude to the volunteers and community members who have donated food.
“The help they give here is very beneficial, because there are a lot of families in need,” Ocampo said.
Natalie Shapiro dropped off several shopping bags of food on Monday morning, including one of the most in-demand items — apples. Because CRC takes produce directly and provides it to clients, the center can guarantee more freshness than if it were a third-party distributor.
Shapiro encouraged other people to donate food or money to organizations like CRC that are assisting those in need.
“It’s just a tough time,” Shapiro said. “People are hungry, the government’s shut down, people aren’t getting the help they need, and I appreciate places like CRC stepping up to help people.”
While many in California have seen their SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) benefits restored in the past few days, a flurry of back-and-forth court rulings have still left these benefits in an uncertain position.
The Trump administration was met with legal challenges after announcing last month that it would cease funding SNAP benefits for the month of November while the shutdown continued. Last week, a federal judge ordered the U.S. Department of Agriculture — which administers SNAP on the federal level — to restore full funding for recipients, with California and other states beginning to immediately reissue benefits.
However, this reissuing abruptly stopped after Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson issued a 48-hour stay on the federal judge’s order on Friday night, leaving some with SNAP benefits for November and others without. As of Monday, the Trump administration is asking the Supreme Court to keep this stay in place, arguing that they cannot be ordered to fully fund SNAP while the shutdown continues.
However, this could soon prove moot if the U.S. House of Representatives approves a funding measure to end the shutdown that was approved by the U.S. Senate on Monday.
The San Diego Food Bank reported that food-related calls to 2-1-1 San Diego grew by 170% last week, underscoring the severity of the current crisis. However, they said they are prepared to continue providing food to the community if the shutdown continues.
“The Jacobs & Cushman San Diego Food Bank will continue hosting emergency food distributions as needed throughout the shutdown and will expand capacity through our network of 450+ nonprofit partners. Behind the scenes, our team is advocating for affected populations, securing additional food supplies, and mobilizing volunteers to ensure our community is served during this critical time,” the food bank said in a statement.
Volunteer Duke Skaff, who has served with the organization for around 11 years, said food drives like the one on Monday are crucial to ensuring they can keep serving the community.
“This food drive, it’s great that people responded to it, and we hope that people keep responding to it,” Skaff said. “We’re part of a community, and we’re part of the human population, and we should be doing things for one another.”
Those interested in donating food to CRC can drop off new food items and personal care items Monday to Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. The CRC has created a wish list of items available on their Instagram page.
Individuals can also make a financial donation on CRC’s website, allowing CRC to directly purchase items for their pantry.
If you or someone you know is in need of food assistance, you can contact 2-1-1 or look up a food distribution site near you via the San Diego Food Bank’s GPS Food Locator Map.
