Contra Costa County supervisors declared a local emergency on Tuesday, allocating up to $21 million to provide food assistance to more than 65,000 households after the federal government suspended nutrition benefits due to the ongoing government shutdown.
The county will distribute debit cards loaded with food assistance funds at four Employment and Human Services Department offices starting the week of November 10. Richmond will serve as a distribution hub for debit cards.
More than 17,000 households in District 1, which includes Richmond, San Pablo, El Cerrito, and Pinole, received approximately $5.5 million in CalFresh benefits in September. The emergency action affects roughly 108,000 county residents, more than half of whom are children and seniors…