On Wednesday, Governor Newsom addressed the increasing needs of food banks for additional food stuffs, particularly fresh produce. Using a combination of additional state, federal, and private funding, the Governor is hoping to seed a $15 million campaign to further support the “Farm to Family” program run by the California Department of Food and Agriculture in collaboration with the California Association of Food Banks. In addition, Newsom highlighted the expansion of the CalFresh and other programs to temper the food insecurity for low-income Californians, including a new EBT program addressing the needs of children who receive free or reduced lunch and EBT for online purchasing.

As noted in other arenas, the COVID-19 pandemic has exponentially increased food insecurity with a corresponding increase on demand at California food banks as household income has decreased due to layoffs, furloughs, and reduced hours. For example, in the first three weeks of April, CalFresh saw a 140 percent increase in the number of applications over the same time last year. Meanwhile, the state’s farmers and ranchers have seen their fresh market opportunities decrease by as much as 50 percent. It is hoped this infusion of new monies will offset some of the effects of market loss, albeit modestly, while providing addressing some of the needs of California’s food banks.

The press release is available here.