Each Thursday, food pantry workers in the city of Bellflower sort through breads, fresh produce and canned goods. Early risers line up with their bags, cardboard boxes and carts outside St. Dominic Savio Catholic Church, ready for distribution at 8 a.m.
For some, that routine became more urgent this week. Five-and-a-half million low-income Californians are enrolled in CalFresh, the state’s version of the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. The program was formerly known as food stamps, and now functions through debit cards.
With the federal government shut down and the Trump administration refusing to tap funds to keep food assistance on schedule, refrigerators are emptying, cupboards are running bare and fears are rising…