The ongoing federal government shutdown is threatening to delay CalFresh payments, known nationally as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
If the shutdown continues, November's benefits won’t be distributed leaving millions of Californians who rely on the program to find other ways to pay for food.
"If I didn't have SNAP, then I wouldn't have something better to rely on. My money is all spent up on gas for my truck, helping my friend who's disabled, rent, phone bill, stuff like that," said Chico resident Lawrence Victorian.
"[I have to] eat smarter, like beans and rice. I'm not a big foodie, but you can't go out. You become housebound because you can't afford to go out, can't afford to eat."- Cheri Ewan, Chico resident
"I feel like things are dwindling down to where I'm gonna be broke pretty soon," he said.
Others are having to reconsider what kinds of foods they buy and what they cook.
"[I have to] eat smarter, like beans and rice," said Chico retiree Cheri Ewan. "I'm not a big foodie, but you can't go out. You become housebound because you can't afford to go out, can't afford to eat."
She says she’s shopping like a college student again, hunting for bargains and trying to stay healthy on a tight budget.
"It'll feed you, sure," she said. "But it's just not quality. So [I'm] getting prepared dinners, which is cheaper than Meals on Wheels for seniors."
Ewan worries about the poor nutrition that often comes with cheaper foods. She said she wanted to buy canned goods for their low price, but is worried about unhealthy levels of salt.
Local governments are just as uncertain about the future as their residents are.
"We're just kind of waiting in the same way that our households are waiting."- Chaya Galicia, Yuba County Health and Human Services program manager
"We're just kind of waiting in the same way that our households are waiting." said Chaya Galicia, a program manager for Yuba County Health and Human Services. "We only know the same amount of information that they know at this time."
Yuba county sent out a warning last week, letting residents know that CalFresh funds would be delayed if the shutdown continued.
"It would be great to know how long the shutdown is going to be, but I don't think anyone is a fortune teller," Galicia said. "I am hoping that those November benefits will become available soon, and future benefits would become available soon, but we don't have any of those answers. Those timeline answers are probably impossible to know."
The county is still processing new applications for CalFresh, Galicia said. She encouraged those in need to look into local food banks, nonprofits and church groups to find food. Food banks in the county have said they expect to see a rise in demand next month.
Leftover SNAP funds from October will still be able to be spent in November.
