Food programs face rising holiday-season need worsened by recent government shutdown

Food distribution programs in the Diocese of Los Angeles faced a jump in local need in October and November, according to local program organizers, who said that the federal government shutdown exacerbated the heightened need that programs usually see around the end of the year.

The federal government shutdown, which began Oct. 1 and ended Nov. 12,  resulted in furloughs and unpaid work for many government employees as well as uncertainty about the CalFresh program and a delay of funds, which were eventually distributed Nov. 6.

Debbie Decker, executive director of the West Valley Food Pantry in Woodland Hills, said that in early October, the pantry saw a 20% jump in a single week, serving approximately 800 families one week and 1,000 the next. She said that the end of the year is always a time of high need at the food pantry, and this year has been stacked with compounding factors from the government shutdown. Decker has been the director of the pantry, which opened a new building in March of this year, for 12 years, and retires in December.

She said that with no information about when CalFresh funds would be distributed, those relying on the benefits began to use the food pantry to supplement food and stretch their benefits. She also said the pantry has recently served flight controllers, TSA agents, and military members working without pay, trying to cut costs and pay rent, uncertain of when they would get their next paycheck. She said that based on payroll schedules, some clients would not get paid until well after the shutdown had ended.

Decker said that even though CalFresh benefits were ultimately delayed only six days, the threat to people’s livelihoods and financial resources caused people to panic.

To make matters worse, there were problems on the supply-side as well. The West Valley Food Pantry receives around 75% of its food from the food bank, which had a food shortage in the face of sudden high demand. She said, however, that the community rose to meet needs, with a constant stream of cars coming in to donate.

While not everything is very helpful (“I mean, what would you do with a jar of sauerkraut and a can of olives?” Decker asks) the outpouring of support has been heartwarming, and many people are paying attention to the real needs of the community. During the heavy rain early in the week, the pantry was able to provide homeless community members with gloves and dry socks to change into, donated by a community member.

“It’s been non-stop,” Decker said. “Cars just drive in and they say ‘I was at Costco,’ or ‘I was at the grocery store,’ and they just pop open their trunks. And they don’t even want a ‘thank you,’ they just want to give us food. People really, really want to help. It’s nice to know that a lot of the people in the community really are paying attention. They see what’s going on and they want to do something to help. Even the ones that are giving us the sauerkraut and the olives, the intention is good.”

 

Seeds of Hope, the diocesan food-security ministry, has also seen increased demand over the organization’s numerous distribution sites, said Adriana Arce, project and program manager for Seeds of Hope. Arce said that the largest jump in numbers happened towards the end of October, in anticipation of the delay of CalFresh benefits. Arce also noted that holidays are an especially busy time regardless, as Seeds of Hope and partners plan extra distributions ahead of Thanksgiving.

Arce said that while the number of clients at distribution sites has already come down a little, some sites are still seeing double the number of clients from just a few months ago. Although more clients at distributions shows a troubling increase in food insecurity, Arce said, the fact that people in need know about Seeds of Hope is a good sign.

“They came to our distributions, which for us was a really great thing to see, because it meant that they knew that we were a trusted resource,” Arce said. “And we were able to help them out and get them produce, which is something that  most distributions or food pantries don’t focus on.”

 

Arce said that Seeds of Hope has been receiving slightly less food than expected from partner organizations, and has had to re-structure some distributions to make sure everyone who shows up gets at least some fresh food.

 

At St. Andrew’s Soup Kitchen, a ministry of St. Andrew’s Church in Fullerton, which offers a hot meal to those in need every Friday, there has been a jump in demand from the service’s regular 50-60 guests per week to more than 70 per week, said Samantha Wylie, director of the soup kitchen. The volunteer-run ministry is funded by donations from individuals and other faith communities, including nearby Emmanual Episcopal Church and First Christian Church in Fullerton, and has been able to serve more meals to meet increased demand.

 

In Riverside, All Saints’ Episcopal Church is continuing to address the needs of hungry neighbors to the best of the church’s ability, said the Rev. Canon Kelli Grace Kurtz, rector. The church is partnering with an early childhood development center to ensure that families living at or below the poverty line have food gift cards for Thanksgiving, and working with the principal of a local middle school to provide food and gift cards to families in need.

 

St. Michael’s Outreach center, Riverside, and All Saints’, Riverside, also partner on a ‘Food Share’ event Thursdays at St. Michael’s, which has seen a large uptick in those served in recent weeks, according to the Rev. Canon Mary Crist, priest-in-charge. The churches are planning to start a community meal night at St. Michael’s, beginning in a couple of weeks.

“While most of the above was already up and going before the government shutdown, we’ve been re-energized and refocused the last month on our Jesus mandate to serve those who hunger,” Kurtz said. “The congregation has gathered nearly $4,000 so far to address immediate need and ongoing concerns.”

Decker said that for many, the uncertainty caused by the government shutdown felt like an existential risk. Even with benefits now distributed, she said, the danger isn’t fully past, especially considering ongoing uncertainty about the future of programs like the Affordable Care Act, and the risk for disenrollment in coverage or dramatically increased healthcare costs in 2026.

“The decisions people are making are horrific,” Decker said. “None of it is good and none of it is equitable, and none of it is fair, and it’s just chaos right now. And then you’ve got to throw in having little kids who are expecting Santa to visit. How do you tell your kid, ‘Well, Santa’s passing us by this year.’? Families are  dealing with a whole lot of difficult issues, and a lot of them are unsure how to. Because there’s no clear path forward.”