CA’s May Budget Revise Provides Critical Investment in Emergency Food Program

Yesterday Governor Newsom released his revised 2020-21 Budget, that undertook to balance the budget while COVID-19 has put unprecedented pressure on state revenues and yet increased the need for vital public programs and services.

The budget reflects many difficult decisions made to close the deficit, including public benefits, while meeting the ongoing demands for COVID-19 response aid. We are incredibly grateful to Governor Newsom for continuing to stand with food banks and supporting the essential role they play in maintaining public health and mitigating a secondary crisis of hunger. A shocking 31 percent of Californians report food insecurity.

Since the start of this pandemic, Governor Newsom and the State have been true partners of our food banks, from deploying the National Guard and augmenting produce deliveries through our Farm to Family program, to establishing an Emergency Food Box program. The May revision proposes total financial support of $50 million in the budget, bringing life-saving food to communities across the state. We look forward to working with the Legislature to secure this critical investment in the final budget.

Each and every day food bank staff and volunteers work on the frontlines of this pandemic providing anyone in need with the most fundamental resource: food. Keeping California healthy and well-fed is critical to protecting public health and rebuilding our economy. As the demand for emergency food continues to rise, food banks will continue to evolve their programs and expand their distributions to meet the needs of our hungry community members during this crisis and for years to come.