During the recent government shutdown, SNAP recipients showed up to food banks in large numbers, including at SDSU. Alyssa Cordts, a volunteer at the Wesley House food bank on Hardy Avenue, said on Nov. 6:
“When I walked outside at 1:30 [p.m.], there was triple the amount of people I’ve ever seen.”
November marked the first time in history that the federal government delayed funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also known as CalFresh in California.
The program supports over 5.3 million Californians, including over 200,000 college students, and many more are eligible. Nationwide, SNAP supports 42 million Americans.
The record-breaking 43-day government shutdown was full of uncertainty. The federal government originally withheld SNAP funds, then acquiesced to a partial payout, and was finally forced to issue full benefits by the courts. When over 20 states, including California, followed a Nov. 6 district court order to issue SNAP benefits, the Department of Agriculture ordered them to “undo” the payout.
On the shutdown, Wesley House’s CalFresh outreach coordinator, Maria Khalifa, said: “[Congress is] still obviously getting paid. They’re not suffering. They’re still going about their day, normal, while everybody else is not getting paid.”
By the second week of November, Californians began to receive SNAP funds; by the third, the shutdown was ending. But a study by CouponFollow shows that SNAP recipients still fear they will be unable to afford food for Thanksgiving.
As anxiety peaked, SDSU asserted its capacity to meet the needs of students facing food insecurity through the Economic Crisis Response Team (ECRT), Basic Needs Center and A.S. Food Pantry.
The Basic Needs Center opened an Emergency CalFresh Application for students in late October.
The funding pause coincided with the first week of Aztecs Rock Hunger, where Associated Students collected donations to fund these resources.
Wesley House saw a 20% increase in traffic since the start of November, according to its Housing and Support Services Manager, Mattison Walker. Outside the food bank on Hardy Ave, students spoke of precarity.
A University of Southern California doctoral student, who requested to remain anonymous, placed blame on the Trump administration.
“The way that [the] Trump administration is coming up with policies that literally will let people die–especially the most vulnerable, like old-aged people, like poor people — it’s just not okay,” she said.
Though SNAP eventually regained funding, recipients continued to face uncertainty about when they would be able to access those funds.
“I’ve literally been going to Trader Joe’s hoping that my card works and then coming back,” said Alexa Berry, a third-year journalism student.
Berry stressed the importance of on-campus resources for students like her.
“There’s a lot of people that just come and then go to their dorm and just starve. Like, no, there’s things like this on campus for you to help you out,” she said.
Previously open to all, Wesley House began exclusively serving college students in November.
Walker emphasized partnerships between Wesley House and SDSU resources like ECRT, the Basic Needs Resource Center, and TRiO. She said Wesley House often encourages SDSU students to use these resources.
The uncertainty motivated many to contribute to food banks, including as volunteers.
“I actually used to get my food here at San Diego State,” said Monica Sanchez, an alumna who said the shutdown motivated her to volunteer at Wesley House. “I have some experience with what it’s like to need assistance with food.”
Recounting all the ways people have contributed to the food bank in recent weeks, Khalifa said: “I just love that the community is helping one another because right now, it might be for somebody else, but what about tomorrow? It might be for us.”
