SNAP Cuts Impact Thousands of Immigrants in Alameda County

“The cut going into effect today is not happening in a vacuum. It pulls resources away from our survival and funnels our tax dollars into systems that terrorize immigrant communities. We all want to live without fear, including the fear of going hungry.”   –Benyamin Chao, Supervising Health & Public Benefits Policy Manager at the California Immigrant Policy Center 

Starting April 1, the federal administration enacted a new exclusion from SNAP (known as CalFresh in California) as part of cuts passed in HR1 last summer. States are now required to deny SNAP assistance to refugees, asylees, and other humanitarian immigrants. This will result in an estimated 72,000 Californians — including more than 5,000 Alameda County residents alone — losing benefits. 
 
Last week, on April 1, the Food4All Coalition hosted a press conference at ACCFB to condemn these cuts and to urge state leaders to mitigate this harm in California by making humanitarian immigrants impacted by HR1 eligible for the state-funded California Food Assistance Program (CFAP) and continuing to fight for food for all in California. 

Make Your Voice Heard on April 21, Hunger Action Day 

One way you can take action in the face of federal cuts is with this year’s California Hunger Action Day. Starting April 15, we’re inviting you to join a virtual week of action.

Don’t forget to sign up for our advocacy alerts for more information on how you can help make your voice heard, advocate for anti-hunger policy, and stay up to date on our first-ever Local Advocacy Priorities agenda (coming soon!).   

Thank You to All Who Joined Farmworkers Appreciation Day of Service  

On March 31, ACCFB hosted a Farmworkers Appreciation Day of Service for more than 200 volunteers who prepared food for our community while honoring and reflecting on the collective efforts and ongoing struggles of local farmworkers.

We were joined by partners from Blue Shield, including ACCFB board member Shannon Datcher who spoke about the intersections of healthcare and food justice including the meaningful impact the Food as Medicine Program has on our community. Members of ACCFB’s union also shared insights about farmworkers’ legacy in the labor movement.  
 
Together, volunteers packaged an incredible 22,000 meals worth of food! Thank you to all who joined, including Blue Shield, Alameda County District Attorney's Office, and SSVF Insight Housing. This collective effort is a powerful reflection of what we can accomplish when we come together in service and solidarity. 

Save the Date: Night On The Town  

Food from the Bar This Spring 

Food From The Bar (FFTB) is an annual spring fundraising and volunteering campaign led by law firms and members of the legal community to ensure everyone in our community has the food we need to thrive. This May, each donation made through FFTB will be matched by Everlaw up to $10,000 and will help us continue to advocate for anti-hunger policy, make critical nutrition benefits more accessible to community members, minimize our collective environmental footprint through food recovery and local food sourcing, and so much more. 

If you'd like to get your law firm involved, please reach out to fooddrive@accfb.org.

Sustained Giving Fuels the Food Bank 

Monthly donations are an essential way to power our work to end hunger and its root causes. Recurring donations ensure that we can plan for the future as we rely on consistent support. From now through May 15, new monthly donations will be matched up to $50,000 for one year!  

Join our Team

We're looking for amazing people to join our Food Bank Team. Check out our open positions: