SAN DIEGO — The San Diego County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a $1 million pilot program Thursday to partner with two regional food banks on emergency food distribution events in communities most affected by recent federal benefit cuts.
Sponsored by Vice Chair Monica Montgomery Steppe, the program will be administered by the county’s Health and Human Services Agency and is intended to address rising food insecurity stemming from recent changes to CalFresh eligibility.
The initiative directs the county’s chief administrative officer to:
- Carry out emergency food distribution events for one year through partnerships with the San Diego Food Bank and Feeding San Diego in 16 “high-impact ZIP codes.”
- Provide two progress reports detailing the number of households served, service gaps, program funding, CalFresh benefit losses and enrollment trends.
- Determine that funding emergency food distribution and related hunger relief services is necessary to meet residents’ health and welfare needs.
County officials identified 16 communities where families have been hardest hit by CalFresh eligibility changes…