This article was underwritten in part by the Mickey Flacks Journalism Fund for Social Justice, a proud, innovative supporter of local news. To make a contribution go to sbcan.org/journalism_fund.
At an elementary school in Santa Barbara on Tuesday afternoon, volunteers stood in front of a long line of folding tables stacked with food: bags of chicken and cartons of eggs, paper bags laden with dry goods like cereal, peanut butter and canned fruit, beside other bags of fresh produce. Giggling children wiggled and played as the volunteers handed the food to adults. The space is a monthly distribution site for the Foodbank of Santa Barbara County, a local nonprofit.
Foodbank, along with other organizations in the area, is ramping up its efforts to feed people as tens of thousands in Santa Barbara County wait to see if they will receive any of their SNAP benefits in November. Last Saturday, the U.S. Department of Agriculture did not release the federal money that funds the largest food assistance program in the country. Two federal judges have said the USDA needs to use a contingency fund to pay SNAP benefits, and the Trump administration has said it will pay half of the benefit. But no clear plan on when or how this will occur is in place, and President Trump said on Tuesday that he won’t distribute the benefits…