Find A Food Bank Near Temecula As Shutdown Disrupts Federal Food Aid

TEMECULA, CA ? Across Riverside County, food banks are bracing for a potentially massive influx of local CalFresh benefits in need next week as their benefits don't arrive in November due to the ongoing government shutdown.

This week, Attorney General Rob Bonta said it will be the "first time ever" that SNAP benefits are halted for millions who rely on them.

Following the shutdown on Oct. 10, USDA sent a letter to state agencies directing them to put an indefinite hold on November benefits.

?Bottom line, the well has run dry,? the USDA notice says.

Beginning Nov. 1, the agency said there will be no benefits sent to the 1 in 8 Americans, roughly 42 million, that SNAP serves. In California, the aid known as CalFresh serves more than 5.5 million.

Across the Inland Empire, CalFresh serves 2.3 million people.

Although two federal judges ruled Friday that the Trump administration must allow for SNAP benefits to continue, it wasn?t immediately clear how quickly the debit cards that beneficiaries use to buy groceries could be reloaded after the ruling. That process often takes one to two weeks.

Julia Rensink, a spokesperson for God's Pantry, a food bank nonprofit that runs food giveaways across the Inland Empire, told The Press-Enterprise that the federal benefits are at times all that families have.

?We?re not new to crises. Our mission has always been to bridge the gap,? Rensink told the newspaper. ?We?ve seen firsthand how programs like CalFresh make a difference; not just for those who receive the food kits, but those who work in the warehouse. When benefits get interrupted, our food distributions become these families? safety net.?

See food banks located in and around Temecula

• Circle of Care - 26090 Ynez Road, Temecula | 951-973-3582
• Mission Hope - 41760 Rider Way, Temecula | 951-444-1404
• Western Eagle Foundation - 40940 County Center Drive, Temecula | 951-695-7206

Call ahead to check when pantries are open and what locations they may be popping up at throughout your community.

Gov. Gavin Newsom has also deployed the state National Guard to support food banks.

"As SNAP delays hit dinner tables right before the holiday season, the state is working hard to keep families from going hungry." Newsom said. "The efforts seen today will be ongoing and available to food banks across California that request greater assistance.?

READ MORE: CalFresh Benefits Won't Go Out In November, Officials Say: 'The Well Has Run Dry'