Santa Cruz County, other agencies approve $1 million in donations to Second Harvest Food Bank

Quick Take

The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors declared a local emergency over food insecurity Tuesday and approved a $500,000 donation to Second Harvest Food Bank, as federal food aid delays from the ongoing government shutdown leave thousands without assistance. With additional pledges from local governments and organizations, more than $1 million has been raised so far, though officials warn the county may need more than $2 million to cover the shortfall through December. Other local governments and organizations also pledged to help fund the effort, for a total of more than $1 million.

The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors approved a local emergency declaration Tuesday acknowledging the “extreme peril” to local families experiencing food insecurity in light of the lack of federal funding for food assistance, and donated $500,000 to Second Harvest Food Bank Santa Cruz County. Other local governments and organizations also pledged to help fund the effort, for a total of more than $1 million.

Food aid for about 42 million Americans nationwide has been delayed this month as the federal government shutdown continues and the Trump administration attempts to not disperse emergency funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), also known as food stamps.

In Santa Cruz County, about 35,000 people receive the benefit each month, resulting in about $6.5 million in delayed aid — which is dispersed by CalFresh, the state’s version of SNAP. However the food bank estimates that it will cost about $1 million to fill in the gap caused by delayed CalFresh benefits and feed about 25,000 people for one month.

Santa Cruz County Executive Officer Nicole Coburn said the resolution likely represents the first time the county declared a local emergency for food insecurity.

“But we are facing a lot of firsts here in Santa Cruz County, and the nation,” she said.

Without that aid, the next form of food assistance for families comes from local food banks such as Second Harvest. However, Coburn said that the county should expect to fill the federal funding gap for two months, or $2 million through December, as the shutdown doesn’t appear to be ending anytime soon.

To meet that need, county officials announced that in addition to the $500,000 approved on Tuesday, other local governments and organizations have also pledged funding for a total of more than $1 million so far. The cities of Watsonville and Santa Cruz and nonprofit Community Foundation Santa Cruz County are contributing $100,000 each, and the County Office of Education is contributing $250,000.

Second Harvest also received $700,000 from the State of California, of the total $80 million in emergency funding Gov. Gavin Newsom approved for food banks across the state.

County spokesperson Jason Hoppin said while those contributions reach about $1.7 million, the need is still much higher. He added that county officials haven’t identified exactly where the donation will come from in the county’s general fund; it will likely come from reductions to travel expenses and outside contracts, among other sources.

“We need other businesses, nonprofits, professional organizations, things like that to step up if they can, to fill the gap,” he said. “That doesn’t cover it all.”

Second Harvest CEO Erica Padilla-Chavez said while the donations so far will relieve some pressure, it’s not likely to reach the $6.5 million monthly amount that families typically see in Santa Cruz County.

“There is no playbook for this,” she said, speaking to the unprecedented need facing communities and local food banks.

She said the nonprofit needs food and monetary donations as well as volunteers to help package and distribute food. Padilla-Chavez added that while the state offered National Guard officials to help, Second Harvest recipients said “loud and clear” that they wouldn’t “necessarily feel safe” seeing people in uniform at food bank locations.