Contra Costa County to declare local emergency, issue grocery debit cards during SNAP freeze

By John Ramos

As the government shutdown moves into its second month, concerns are rising about the loss of food benefits that millions of Americans depend on. 

In a time of rising prices and a sudden loss of federal help, Contra Costa County says it is declaring a local emergency to get help quickly to the thousands of residents who need it.

At the Richmond Food Center market, Mohamed Nasser says his customers are frightened by the sudden halt in SNAP benefits. And the rapid hike in food prices has already been affecting the way they spend what cash they may have, even before the government shutdown.

“People are buying less candy, less junk food, and less alcoholic beverages. Because when you know you’re going to run out of food, your priorities kick in,” said Nasser. “Everybody’s panicking. It seems to be the topic, coming in like, ‘oh, what are we going to do? How are we going to go about this?’ Everybody is shopping, trying to get the pantry filled up. But there’s only so much that they can do, with what they have.”

The suspension of federal food assistance is the topic of conversation in lower-income communities of Contra Costa County. Supervisor John Gioia says the freeze is impacting a huge number of people.

“It would affect one in eight Americans, and 107,000 Contra Costa residents who are enrolled in CalFresh,” he said. “I mean, look at it. That’s about one in ten county residents who rely on these very important food benefits.”

Food banks and church programs are doing what they can to supply emergency rations, but the county will take official action on Tuesday — declaring a local emergency and implementing a plan to issue food debit cards to residents who are currently enrolled in the federal program. It will cost about $21 million to cover the amount lost for one month, if the shutdown should last that long.

Gioia says it’s only possible because Contra Costa has been prudent in the way it’s spent its money.

“We have a AAA bond rating, we have over $500 million in reserves. If we can’t use our emergency reserves for something like this, what SHOULD we be using it for?” said Gioia.

And he said it won’t just help the residents, it will also keep the 706 stores, like the Richmond Food Center, operating. 

Nasser says halting SNAP will impact his business greatly.

“At least 40 percent of our business gone, overnight, because we rely on it heavily,” he said.

A federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to continue the SNAP benefits, but Gioia says he’s shocked that there’s even a question whether the order might be ignored or delayed. The federal shutdown may be viewed in Washington as a chess match — or, perhaps, a game of chicken — but customer Chanelle Mack says, in places like Richmond, it is having real-world consequences.

“You’re looking at possibly cutting out something, not paying your bills, not paying your lights, not doing something. That money has to come from somewhere, and where’s it going to come from?” she said.  “So, now you’re going to have people stealing and people trying just to live and survive. So, it’s like Hunger Games. We’re literally playing Hunger Games when they’re weaponizing food.”

The average monthly SNAP benefit is $573 for a family of three. Gioia says, once it gets authorization at Tuesday’s meeting, the county will begin issuing the debit cards at Employment and Human Services Department offices in Richmond, Hercules, Pleasant Hill and Antioch at the following addresses:

    1305 MacDonald Ave., Richmond 

    151 Linus Pauling Dr., Hercules 

    400 Ellinwood Way, Pleasant Hill 

    4545 Delta Fair Blvd., Antioch 

Starting on Monday, free food boxes will be available at those same locations for residents, regardless of whether they are signed up for the CalFresh program or not.