The Foodbank of Santa Barbara County is preparing for a surge in demand as uncertainty over government funding threatens food assistance.
“We are facing a hunger cliff. Absolutely. We don’t know when this shutdown will be over and we don’t know what the implications will be, so we’re looking at a drastic increase in community need,” said Laurel Alcantar, Director of Development at the Foodbank of Santa Barbara County.
The CalFresh program was fully funded previously, but uncertainty now looms over whether those benefits will continue to be funded in November. An estimated 33,000 Santa Barbara County residents who rely on CalFresh could be affected…