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As millions of Americans brace for the indefinite suspension of the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) on Nov. 1, Humboldt County residents, businesses and nonprofits are stepping up to ensure local folks have continued access to healthy food. 

SNAP, known as CalFresh here in California, provides monthly food benefits to nearly 42 million low-income people — approximately one in eight U.S. residents — including 5.5 million Californians and 32,000 people here in Humboldt. Those benefits won’t be distributed next month due to the ongoing government shutdown and the Trump administration’s refusal to draw from a contingency fund, marking the first delay in SNAP benefits since the program’s inception.

When Eureka resident Olivia Gambino heard the news in the wee hours of the morning last week, her first thought was how to help.

“The moment I read at 3 a.m. that SNAP was not going to be delivered, I began thinking of a strategy,” Gambino told the Outpost. “It is our job as citizens behind the Redwood Curtain to take care of our own. … As I have grown in this community, so has a fierceness of protection, responsibility, and love towards it. I would like to see everyone — no matter who you are — put your foot down and say, ‘I will protect my neighbors, I will lift them up, and I will show everyone respect and treat them with dignity.’”

On Monday, she went to Costco and bought enough bulk food to fill nine boxes for families in need. On top of what she’s donated personally, Gambino has raised $1,000 from at least 15 donors to buy Winco gift cards for local families. 

“Winco gift cards seemed the way to go [because] there’s dignity in autonomy,” she said, emphasizing the importance of “just acting” and not overcomplicating the issue. “The people who receive these benefits are my friends, my family, my neighbors. You can’t simply look at someone and say, ‘You get what you get.’ Food is very personal, and feeding a family is not one-size-fits-all.”

Gambino said she would “love for this to manifest into a larger effort,” adding that she will continue to accept donations and deliver gift cards “as long as folks keep supporting the effort and I feel like I can persist.”

“I can’t do it all the time, but I loved putting the boxes together from my heart,” she said. “Delivering food is fun!”

Those interested in donating can send funds to Gambino through Venmo @og247. And if you’re interested in doing something similar, be wary of scammers. 

“Watch out for internet scammers,” she warned. “I give assistance in person in the form of physical cards or food boxes. Do not transfer money to anyone you do not know! I already had folks ask me to wire them money through the messenger app. You definitely have to use your critical thinking skills.”

Old Town Coffee & Chocolates is also stepping up to help. Starting Nov. 1, both Eureka locations will offer free breakfast to people losing SNAP benefits. 

“If you’re losing SNAP benefits for your family, breakfast is on us 7:30 - 10 a.m. Just ask for the Special Snack,” the business wrote in an Instagram post. “We are plotting ways to extend this into dinner hours. … If you’re in a position to help us offer this to our community, please do.”

Staff with the Humboldt County Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), which administers CalFresh locally, have been meeting with Food for People and family resource centers to ensure vulnerable community members have access to up-to-date information. 

“DHHS does not have funding that can support the lack of CalFresh benefits, but staff are continuing to work cases so they will be ready to issue benefits once the shutdown has ended or benefits are funded by another source,” DHHS spokesperson Christine Messinger told the Outpost. “DHHS staff has also joined forces and is launching a county employee food drive to collect food to support some of our local [family resource centers].”

Food for People, of course, is doing what it can to fill the gaps through its countywide pantry network and mobile produce pantry.

“We are trying our very best to prepare for the surge that we are likely to see, given the disruption in benefits,” said Food for People Executive Director Carly Robbins. “It’s really important to remember that nationwide food bank networks are not built for this kind of response. A statistic that I point to a lot is that for every one meal a food bank provides, SNAP or CalFresh benefits provide nine. Trying to take that on in the existing network is kind of inconceivable, but we are doing everything we can to prepare.”

Staff are working with local partners and the county to source as much food as possible to keep the nonprofit’s pantry stocked.

Speaking to criticism that people who receive SNAP benefits are taking advantage of government resources, Robbins said she has found the opposite to be true in her interactions with people at the food bank.

“The folks that we see in our food bank — most of whom do receive CalFresh or have applied in one form or another — by and large fall into categories like seniors and veterans living on low, fixed income, or folks who are employed or underemployed in a region where the cost of living is really high and wages are comparatively low,” Robbins said. “That’s why SNAP benefits are huge. They help stabilize households so people aren’t having to decide, ‘Do I pay my rent so I keep my household stable, or do I feed my child?’”

“At Food for People, we want people to be able to have the stress of feeding themselves and their family off the table so that they can focus their funds — if they need to — on housing and utilities to keep their households stable,” she added. “That’s what creates a healthier community for everyone.”

Those interested in donating funds or food can do so at Food for People’s website — at this link. Monetary donations are ideal because the nonprofit buys in bulk, but food donations — especially high-protein items — will be gladly accepted as well.

‘SNAP Benefits Can and Must be Provided’

California is taking legal action against the Trump administration in response to the SNAP cuts. Earlier this week, Gov. Gavin Newsom and Attorney General Rob Bonta joined two dozen other states in suing the federal government over its “unlawful refusal to fund SNAP benefits due to the nearly month-long federal government shutdown, despite possessing funds to support SNAP in November.”

“Let’s be clear about what’s happening: For the first time ever, SNAP benefits will not be available to the millions of low-income individuals who depend on them to put food on the table,” Bonta said in a prepared statement. “November SNAP benefits can and must be provided, even with the government shutdown. USDA not only has authority to use contingency funds, it has a legal duty to spend all available dollars to fund SNAP benefits.”

The complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court of Massachusetts on Tuesday, argues that the federal government has the funds available to cover “all, or at least a substantial portion,” of November SNAP benefits for its 42 million recipients. The complaint notes that the USDA is sitting on billions in contingency funds, some of which have already been used to fund the Women, Infants & Children (WIC) program during the government shutdown.

“[A]t least one other appropriated fund available to USDA has enough money to fully cover November SNAP benefits,” the complaint continues. “[O]n September 30, USDA itself acknowledged in its own shutdown contingency plan that SNAP ‘has been provided with multi-year contingency funds that can be used for State Administrative Expenses to ensure that the State can also continue operations during a Federal Government shutdown’ and that ‘[t]hese multi-year contingency funds are also available to fund participant benefits in the event that a lapse occurs in the middle of the fiscal year.’”

A full-screen banner on the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) website claims the funding isn’t available: “Bottom line, the well has run dry.” The notice also states that Senate Democrats “have now voted 12 times to not fund the food stamp program” and have opted instead to “hold out for healthcare for illegal aliens and gender mutilation procedures,” a claim Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer has called “a total, absolute, effing lie.”

In a newsletter sent out this morning, North Coast Rep. Jared Huffman called the Trump administration’s action “despicable.”

Huffman

“This level of cruelty is incorrigible, and I refuse to sit back and let Republicans put millions of struggling families at risk of being unable to feed their kids and have access to basic health care,” Huffman stated. “I joined 213 of my Democratic colleagues in demanding that Secretary Rollins use the administration’s power and the SNAP contingency fund to provide full November food assistance as the Republican shutdown enters its second month.”

In previous government shutdowns, the USDA has found ways to keep SNAP funded to avoid a lapse in benefits. In 2019, during the first Trump administration, the USDA tapped into contingency funds to issue SNAP benefits early. In a memo issued last week, the USDA claimed the contingency funds are “not legally available” and are set aside for natural disasters.

Federal law requires states to continue operating SNAP programs “even when benefits are suspended or reduced,” according to the complaint. States currently cover 50 percent of the cost of administering SNAP programs, but that figure will increase to 75 percent in 2027, in accordance with the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.

“Plaintiff States are thus being forced to spend their limited resources to operate a benefits program while USDA fails to provide the underlying benefits,” the complaint continues. “Indeed, Plaintiff States have already spent millions in October to administer SNAP benefits … When those benefits do not go out on time (or at all), that investment will have been for naught. USDA has given no indication that States could recoup their share of these forced wasted expenditures.”

Correspondence from the USDA has “instigated significant uncertainty, confusion, and questions among State agencies,” and imposed “an additional administrative burden on already-strained resources and staff trying to operate a complex program,” the complaint states. For some state-run programs, that means preparing for “significant” layoffs.

The coalition has also requested a temporary restraining order that would require the USDA to maintain benefits through November.

‘We Gotta Act Fast and Think Differently’

There’s no telling how long the lapse in SNAP benefits will last. St. Vincent de Paul’s dining facility in Eureka is preparing for an increase in Free Meal attendees. Local volunteer Hannah Ozanian said she’s anxious to see how the organization will be impacted by the influx of new people.

“With homeless services across the board, there is typically a reprieve at the first of every month when folks get their monthly allocations. That’s when a lot of people spend their money, and as it runs out, they come back for meals towards the end of the month,” Ozanian said. “But what if we don’t have that break anymore? What if the numbers just keep going? We gotta act fast and think differently.”

Along with Free Meal, St. Vincent de Paul Redwood Region Board President Bob Santilli said volunteers are preparing “commodity boxes” with both fresh and non-perishable food items for people in need. 

“We’ll probably see a spike in demand for those,” he told the Outpost. “We are known for having a lot of resources because of our collaborations. There’s a lot of uncertainty when you operate within this industry, and you just have to be aware of that and take any opportunities that come your way. From a donation standpoint, we’re well-supported through several organizations, including Food for People, Costco, WinCo and Coca-Cola.”

On top of that, Santilli said he just received word that the Humboldt Creamery would be donating a bunch of ice cream to the dining facility for the holidays. Pacific Towing is going to donate a few dozen turkeys for Thanksgiving as well.

“We have a lot of empathetic partners,” he added. “And there’s a lot of big-hearted people that volunteer with us, people who’ve never had a great shake in life, but they understand the plight of others.”

St. Vincent de Paul is always looking for new volunteers. A group of high schoolers from St. Bernard’s Academy has been volunteering at Free Meal on Mondays, but they always need more people, especially during the holiday season.

The Community Access Project for Eureka (CAPE) is also working with St. Vincent de Paul’s and other local partners to keep community members informed. Those seeking resources can visit the Eureka Community Resource Center at 1111 E Street, Monday - Friday between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. 

The Community Resource Center can also be reached at 707-441-4242 for more information or to collaborate on program development.

College of the Redwoods Launches Food Drive for Students

College of the Redwoods is expanding access to its Basic Needs Center and launching an emergency food drive to support students. Those who wish to donate non-perishable items can do so at CR’s Eureka, Del Norte and Hoopa campuses, or at its downtown Eureka office at 527 D Street. Donations can also be made at upcoming football and basketball games.

Those wishing to contribute financially can donate online at this link or mail a check to the College of the Redwoods Foundation, 527 D Street, Eureka, CA 95501, with a note indicating the donation should be used for the Basic Needs Center.

“Hunger does not recognize political parties,” CR President Keith Flamer said in a prepared statement. “Our focus is on making sure every student has access to food and the support they need to continue their education, no matter what is happening at the federal level.”

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UPDATE: A few other local businesses/organizations have announced their own free meal programs since we originally published this story. Drop us a line at news@lostcoastoutpost.com if you have additional resources. We’ll do our best to keep this list updated.

• Arcata House Partnership has free food at its pantry in Valley West. The nonprofit is in “urgent” need of non-perishable food items. Donations can be taken to Arcata House Partnership’s office at 4677 Valley West Blvd. in Arcata between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Monday - Friday. More information here.
• Community United of North Arcata/Comunidad Unida del Norte de Arcata (CUNA) is hosting a free produce day on Saturday, Nov. 1, from 3 to 6 p.m. at 4700 Valley East Blvd. in Arcata. More information can be found on their Facebook.
• The Humboldt Gold Exchange in Eureka is providing free meal bags for children with proof of a SNAP/EBT card. More information can be found here.

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Additional SNAP-related resources:

• Food for People
• County of Humboldt - CalFresh Services
• Humboldt Families Helping Families Facebook Group
• California Association of Food Banks
• California Department of Social Services CalFresh FAQ