The county Board of Supervisors has unanimously approved a pilot program to partner with two regional food banks for distribution events in areas with the greatest need in response to federal budget cuts.
Sponsored by Vice Chair Monica Montgomery Steppe, the measure calls for spending $1 million, as administered by the Health and Human Services Agency, according to county documents.
The proposal directs the chief administrative officer to advance
several options to address food insecurity, including:
-- carry out emergency distribution events, via agreements with San
Diego Food Bank and Feeding San Diego, in ``high-impact ZIP codes'' for one year
-- offer two progress reports on how many households have benefited,
any service gaps, program funding, data on CalFresh benefit loss and enrollment
trends
-- find that ``(paying) for emergency food distribution and related
hunger relief services is necessary to meet the social needs of the population in the areas of health and welfare.''
County staff identified 16 high-impact areas ``where families are being hit the hardest by the CalFresh eligibility changes,'' according to the county.
Photo by: Scripps News Group
Volunteers pack food at a Food Bank of the Rockies distribution center.
Posted 8:44 PM, Jun 25, 2026
SAN DIEGO (CNS) - The county Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a pilot program today to partner with two regional food banks for distribution events in areas with the greatest need in response to federal budget cuts.
Sponsored by Vice Chair Monica Montgomery Steppe, the measure calls for spending $1 million, as administered by the Health and Human Services Agency, according to county documents.
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The proposal directs the chief administrative officer to advance
several options to address food insecurity, including:
-- carry out emergency distribution events, via agreements with San
Diego Food Bank and Feeding San Diego, in ``high-impact ZIP codes'' for one year
-- offer two progress reports on how many households have benefited,
any service gaps, program funding, data on CalFresh benefit loss and enrollment
trends
-- find that ``(paying) for emergency food distribution and related
hunger relief services is necessary to meet the social needs of the population in the areas of health and welfare.''
County staff identified 16 high-impact areas ``where families are being hit the hardest by the CalFresh eligibility changes,'' according to the county.
``While local food banks and community pantries work incredibly hard to
provide access to food, there are still gaps in coverage that leave too many
families vulnerable.''
Food distribution events will happen ``as quickly as possible at county community and family resource centers, and library branches, according to the county.