The Foodbank of Santa Barbara says the county is experiencing the highest food insecurity rates in nearly a decade, and now proposed federal changes threaten to deepen hunger across Santa Barbara County, putting thousands of local families, seniors, and children at greater risk.
The proposed cuts to USDA and state-funded programs signal a severe threat to the region’s food security.
"I definitely know it helps students a lot, families a lot, I personally have been using Cal Snap since I've been unemployed, so I know how important it is to have access to those things," said Cami Lane, a volunteer with the Foodbank of Santa Barbara County.
Lane says having access to food assistance from the Foodbank and SNAP benefits has been a massive relief while she looks for a job.
"If you're having a hard time, you don't have to have a basic meal. You can have something that's exciting and and keeps your family really motivated for whatever you're going through," said Lane.
According to the Foodbank of Santa Barbara County, 1 in 3 residents struggle to afford groceries.
Now proposed cuts to USDA and state-funded programs could put thousands of families at even greater risk. Foodbank CEO Erik Talkin says the Emergency Food Assistance Program has already seen substantial cuts.
"Cuts like this are going to have a huge impact on us over the coming months, if we're going to see a trend of food disappearing from our shelves and less support from the federal government, then it's really down to us to ensure that we can build our local capacity for food sourcing," said Talkin.
Food sourcing could also see challenges in the coming months, according to Talkin. He says with the termination of LFPA, the local food purchase assistance program, the Foodbanks' ability to source fresh, local produce, for the community, and support for small local farms will be impacted.
"That's going away in June. So we really need support from the community in helping us backfill that so that we can provide local farmers with the support to help local people in the community with their food," explained Talkin.
According to the Foodbank, USDA foods make up 30% of the food distributed by the Foodbank.
