The city of San Francisco will help feed food stamp recipients through the month of November, Mayor Daniel Lurie said Wednesday. The move comes after the federal government announced a lapse in benefits starting at the first of the month amid the record-long shutdown.
Some 112,000 residents of San Francisco, including 48,000 seniors and 18,000 children, rely on the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, Supervisor Connie Chan said. More than 40 million Americans across the US depend on the program. This impending lapse is the first in the program’s 60-year history.
After hearing that their SNAP benefits would freeze starting next week, community members began to scramble, with some posting in community groups online seeking support. A few Bay Area restaurants announced initiatives to feed children and families for free; individuals offered to “sponsor” the grocery tab of food insecure families.
The public-private partnership will include $9.1 million in city reserve funding proposed by Lurie with the unanimous approval of the Board of Supervisors. The public funding is being matched by Crankstart, the family foundation of billionaire Michael Moritz and Harriet Heyman.
Benefits will be allocated to SNAP cardholders through GiveCard and the San Francisco-Marin Food Bank. San Franciscans enrolled in the program will receive mail next week with instructions for accessing cards pre-loaded with funds to be used at grocery stores across the city.
GiveCard, a private prepaid card company, was used during relief efforts following the Los Angeles fires and the Texas floods earlier this year.
The mayor announced the initiative on the steps of City Hall, flanked by two dozen people including members of the Board of Supervisors, the Human Services Agency, Self-Help for the Elderly, the San Francisco Interfaith Council, and others.
“As a city, we have truly seen the best of San Francisco in the past couple of weeks. I am so proud of how the city has come together to support our neighbors in need,” said Lurie.
“While the situation in Washington remains uncertain, here in San Francisco, we are taking care of each other. This city stands with our workers, our kids, and our seniors, and we'll keep doing what it takes to ensure San Franciscans remain safe and healthy. Because that's what we do.”
