The Brief
- SNAP benefits are set to run out on Saturday.
- Half a million people in the Bay Area rely on this food assistance program, known as CalFresh in California.
- Food banks and cities said they are prepared to help.
CONCORD, Calif. – The clock is ticking for the 42 million Americans who rely on federal food benefits as the government shutdown drags on.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture says it will run out of money to fund the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program — or SNAP — by Saturday if Congress does not act. The program provides monthly food benefits to low-income families and individuals across the country.
Some of the nation’s most vulnerable people depend on SNAP, including more than half a million residents in the San Francisco Bay Area. Nearly 40% of recipients are children, 20% are seniors, and about 10% are people with disabilities.…