When the government shut down, federal food assistance benefits dropped to 65%, Foothill’s Owl’s Nest Pantry became more important to the 1,300 students it serves each quarter. 

A federal nutrition assistance program has existed since 1964, first called the Food Stamp Program and later renamed to SNAP, which aids low-income families in purchasing food. Foothill’s Owl’s Nest is a separate entity and supplies students with food hygiene products, school supplies, and housing. 

California’s SNAP program is known as CalFresh, and is funded by the federal government but is operated by California. Five million Californians are enrolled in CalFresh, and of that number, 258,000 are students. For students to be eligible, they need to earn below a set monthly income — $2,430 for one person in the household — and meet at least one of many exemptions, which include working at least 20 hours per week, caring for children, being a single parent, receiving TANF, or having a physical or mental disability. The full list of exemptions can be found on the CalFresh website handbook. These recipients gain access to an EBT card, which originally granted them $291 for groceries, or $189 due to the shutdown. 

Foothill’s Owl’s Nest does not receive any funding from the federal level, and as a result, isn’t as heavily affected by the shutdown. Used by “around a fifth of Foothill’s in-person student population,” according to Sonia Sánchez, the Owls Nest coordinator, any student can access Owls Nest, regardless of their CalFresh (SNAP) status. Also, by partnering with both Whole Foods Market and Second Harvest Food Bank, students can get fresh produce, proteins, snacks, frozen meals, and even a $50 Walmart gift card quarterly.

With the government shutting down on the first of October, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) didn’t have access to spend the usual 9 billion per month on SNAP. As a result, they only authorized 65% to be given out to the approximately one in eight Americans who use it. Later, people sued the government, and a federal judge ordered the Trump administration to pay full benefits using emergency funds. As a result, California, New York, Massachusetts, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania started paying 100% benefits following this judge’s order. The additional funding was short-lived as on October 7th, the Supreme Court responded to an appeal brought by the Trump Administration, and issued an emergency order allowing the administration to withhold 4 billion (35%) of the funding. As of now, the USDA demands that states take back any money that they sent above 65%, but some governors have refused to do so.

Snap was heavily affected, and as a result, it is ever more important for the Owl’s Nest to continue running so it can continue supporting students. If you want to learn more, you can check on this link: https://foothill.edu/owls-nest, or reach out to the director, Sonia Sánchez, at [email protected]