SNAP/CalFresh cards won't refill on time this November. Now what?

Millions of Americans are only able to eat because of a program called SNAP. SNAP stands for Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program, and it’s a program that helps people buy groceries who don’t earn enough money from working to be able to afford them on their own.

If you’re not on SNAP, you generally go into a grocery store and pay for your items with a credit card, debit card, or cash. People on California’s version of SNAP, called CalFresh, get an EBT (Electronic Balance Transfer) card—very similar to a debit card—and use that at the same stores when they want to pay for food with their CalFresh money. They can only use this money for food, not other items.

SNAP is funded by the federal government and administered by states and counties. There are 5.5 million Californians being helped by CalFresh, including nearly 110,000 San Franciscans—roughly one-eighth of the City’s 2022 population.

CalFresh deposits money onto each card on a particular date near the start of each month. The exact date varies by individual so all the deposits don’t happen at once, but it’s one of the first ten days of the month, and always the same day for each person—so you might get your monthly deposit on the 3rd of each month, for example. For those most in need, their refill date is etched into their memory, because it’s the day they can stop starving and go buy some groceries.

On that date in November, they’re going to discover that their November deposit never came, and their card is bereft of the money they were going to use to feed themselves and their family, because Trump is keeping the federal government shut down.

Remember, SNAP is funded by the federal government. That money comes from Congressional appropriations, which are stalled until Congress passes them, and disbursed by the USDA, whose employees are currently furloughed (suspended without pay) until Trump signs a new budget into law.

I’m on CalFresh (or some other state’s SNAP). How do I get food?

If you live in the City, the City government will send you a QR code to access some gift cards. Yes, this is very different from how CalFresh normally works; the City is doing it outside the normal CalFresh system.

[Mayor] Lurie’s office said that by the middle of next week, all San Francisco residents who use SNAP should receive mail from the city providing a QR code that will let residents to download the gift cards digitally or request that a physical one be mailed to them.

That will help for November, at least.

Plan on the assumption that SNAP isn’t resuming anytime soon because Republicans will keep dragging this out. They’re not suffering; you are.

More concretely: Find your local food pantries. In San Francisco, the SF-Marin Food Bank has a food locator. There are only so many locations, all with very narrow hours, so you’ll need to plan your visits. You also may need to register the first time you visit such a location, so make sure you bring a photo ID with your address on it. KQED has a primer on finding a food pantry and visiting it for the first time.

The City’s website has a page with additional food options in the City, including a few locations that serve daily free meals for everyone, and resources specifically for families, seniors, and immigrants. The SF Human Services Agency has a list of even more community meal sites in the City, mostly for seniors and disabled adults.

Other resources to check out:

  • Meals on Wheels SF specializes in home delivery to seniors.

  • Project Open Hand runs a food pantry and home deliveries for seniors and disabled adults.

  • SF Food Not Bombs does free distribution at 16th and Mission and Civic Center Plaza and has a focus on vegetarian options.

  • If you have access to San Francisco Health Network clinics, they have a program called the Food Pharmacy that can provide free healthy food every week. You will be assigned a date and time and required to pick up your allotment on schedule every week.

There are also some restaurants offering free food to people on CalFresh who are currently being denied their benefits.

I’m not on CalFresh but I still struggle with getting food. How will this affect me?

The resources we mentioned above that you currently rely on will get busier, as people who’ve previously been able to buy their own food using SNAP will have to turn to those resources.

Also, if the reason you struggle with food supply is your income, consider applying for CalFresh. You won’t see anything from it right away, given the situation, but enrolling in the program helps affirm its importance to policymakers and the public. And then, whenever the program resumes, you’ll have that help affording groceries to cook at home.

Even applicants who don’t qualify for full CalFresh benefits can still get partial benefits, and if your income is low enough that you qualify for anything, then you understand how much every bit helps.

I’ve got money to spare. How can I help?

Donate money to organizations providing the above-listed resources:

We encourage you to set up recurring donations if you can. Organizations like these can plan around recurring donations, whereas one-time gifts can’t be part of future budgeting.

Although there will likely be food donation bins popping up (particularly as the holidays approach), these aren’t actually as helpful as giving money. Food banks make large institutional purchases and get bulk discounts. Your dollar goes much, much farther when you donate it directly rather than buying food yourself at retail.

I have free time. How can I help?

Many food-assistance organizations run on volunteer labor. That could be you!

What can Democrats do?

Democratic Members of Congress such as ours can and should demand full funding of SNAP in the 2026 budget. They’ve mostly been focused on healthcare, which is also important since going without that will also kill people, but food is at least as important. Proper nutrition and regular meals prevent some of the health crises that people need healthcare for—that’s why SNAP is worth paying for in the first place. A healthy community is one in which people can afford to eat.

Democrats should also forcefully remind their colleagues, the press, and the public at every opportunity that people are starving as long as Republicans refuse to negotiate.

Ultimately, though, it is Republicans who need to come to the table, because they hold the majority in both houses of Congress and because whatever Congress eventually passes will need Trump’s signature. This crisis will continue as long as Trump and the Republicans keep choosing to starve people rather than do their jobs.

At the state level, California and 21 other states have sued the USDA to compel it to release a “contingency fund” that could keep SNAP funded for at least another month.

At the local level, if you don’t live in the City, call your county supervisors and ask them to do what SF has done in providing a temporary reprieve for CalFresh recipients. Not all counties will be able to find the money for this, but if they can, it’ll help a lot for as long as it lasts.

References

News BriefPeter HSNAP, CalFresh, Mutual Aid