FOOD cargoshippingtimes 11/09/2025 0 Comments

California women celebrate relief from losing SNAP food benefits

For Zorie Crawford, the last few weeks have been an emotional whirlwind — from fear to frustration to now partial relief.

A 20-year-old mother and Riverside City College student, Crawford depends on the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program to buy groceries for herself and her young son. Earlier this week, she braced herself for the possibility that — because of the federal shutdown — she won’t receive the $445 that’s usually charged to her state-issued debit card on the sixth of each month.

“I really feel like I’m going to burn out. I feel like it’s going to be hard for me because I’m just a mom,” she said on a recent afternoon. “I have to go away, but I’ll be very sad.”

On Thursday, however, Crawford was shocked to learn that a $445 charge had appeared on her card. Soon after, Governor Gavin Newsom announced that because of the court’s victory, “food benefits are now beginning to return to California families” — at least temporarily.

Crawford is one of about 5.5 million people nationwide who rely on this food assistance — known as CalFresh in California — and one of 42 million people nationwide. In recent weeks, the group has been caught up in a political battle that has moved from Congress to the courts amid a federal shutdown that has now lasted more than five weeks.

Earlier Friday, two federal judges ordered the U.S. Department of Agriculture to use billions of dollars in emergency funding to continue providing SNAP support — so Crawford and many others across the country received their full benefits Thursday. On Friday, the Trump administration asked a federal appeals court to block one of those orders. An appeals court halted the order, and then the Trump administration succeeded late Friday in persuading the Supreme Court to block the judge’s orders and — at least temporarily — stop food benefits from millions of Americans.

Many recipients in California already have their payments due, but late Friday’s legal drama may add to their concerns. Many of them had already developed, and may do so again.

Zuri Crawford, 20, loads essential groceries into the back seat of her car

In Crawford’s case, she’s already doing college coursework, picking up shifts as an UberEats driver and taking care of her 1-year-old. When she learned that her food aid would be suspended this month, she made a plan: She would skip two classes and then pick up extra work as a janitor so she and her son could eat. He will use the money to supplement the support he receives from his school and community.

Even with food aid, she relies on food pantries to help her get canned ravioli, rice and frozen meals during the last two weeks of the month.

Single parents can be particularly hard hit by delays in food benefits. Nationwide, single adults make up nearly two-thirds (62%) of all SNAP households with children, according to the USDA. In California, nearly one A quarter of single working parents (23.2%) are in poverty, according to the Public Policy Institute of California.

Jessica Boyer, vice president of policy and strategic initiatives at the Women’s Policy Research Institute, said single-mother households are particularly vulnerable amid declining gender pay and rising costs for education, housing and child care. “All of these factors require a mother to stretch her already limited dollars even further,” she said.

In the Bay Area city of Mountain View, Abigail Villavicencio typically loads between $500 and $700 per month on her CalFresh cards, she said. It depends on its variable revenue that feeds food delivery apps like Uber Eats. A single mother with three children, she first qualified for SNAP in 2021, and at that time was able to stretch the money to cover a month’s worth of groceries.

“But last year it wasn’t enough. I was spending $500 a fortnight. I’ve seen the prices go up,” she said, adding that her weekly grocery trips now often cost $200 to $300. “I have two weeks when I have to figure out what to do.”

Villavicencio said she supplements her income by collecting donated food at her son’s school twice a month.

The last few weeks have been especially hurtful, she said, when she sees commenters on social media calling food stamp recipients “lazy.” He notes that he must show his bank statements every six months to qualify for CalFresh. For the past three years, she has been at home with her two daughters as they undergo intensive behavioral therapy for autism.

News of delayed SNAP benefits shattered her carefully calculated meal plan. She dipped into her savings for a recent grocery trip and bought enough to make bread that she could sell to construction workers to make a few extra dollars.

Now that her twin daughters are in kindergarten, she’s also looking for more permanent work — but it’s been a challenge, she said, to find one that allows her to take her kids out of school.

Grabbing his dog's beer, Zoey Crawford sits on the couch

As for Crawford, she said she experienced “trauma after trauma” growing up, bouncing between homes in Los Angeles and Riverside counties. She has sought stability since becoming a young mother to her son, whom she affectionately calls Baby Z.

She is in her second semester at Riverside City College, where she is taking prerequisite courses to pursue a career in nursing. She doesn’t do “the bare minimum” of driving for Uber Eats, she said, “but it’s enough for me to at least put gas in my tank.”

Without the financial support of her family or a friend, she relies on a patchwork of government programs.

Two months ago, she, her son and her white dog Bear moved into a one-bedroom apartment she got through the county’s housing program for the homeless. He uses about $900 a month he receives through CalWorks, a state welfare program, to cover rent, utilities and a phone bill. Along with CalFresh, she receives a monthly allowance of healthy food through the Women, Infants and Children program.

She said she is also sustained by her Christian faith. He participates in regular Bible studies and uses a portion of his food budget to provide food for the homeless.

Inside the college’s Basic Needs Resource Center Wednesday afternoon, Crawford filled a black basket with peanut butter, jelly, oatmeal, pozol and hygiene products. While students can usually access the pantry every two weeks, they can collect staples once a week during the shutdown, a volunteer explained.

Crawford is in his second semester at Riverside City College

as a Community college student and single parent receiving public assistanceShe is also eligible for additional support, including food vouchers and grocery gift cards.

Even as SNAP beneficiaries took to the streets to fight the shutdown, she said she’s grateful for public assistance, which she sees as a “stepping stone” to a more financially secure life.

“It’s not my fault I was born into the family I was born into,” she said later that day, as she tore into chicken masala and sabha for a low-cost meal. “I can’t control it, but what I can control is my outcome. And I know that if I keep working hard, if I persevere against all odds, I’ll get better.”

Zuri Crawford, 20, carries groceries from the local market, as well as from the food pantry, to her apartment.

By Thursday, both Villavicencio and Crawford were bracing for tough times ahead. A Mountain View mom was worried about telling her kids about a reduced Thanksgiving this year. Crawford was calculating how to make further progress in using her food budget wisely.

Both women were relieved that on the 6th day of the month their benefits were fully recovered.

“I can breathe now,” Villavicencio said Friday.

“I’m very surprised,” Crawford added with a laugh. “I feel relaxed, I just feel happy.”

This article is part of The Times Equity Reporting Initiative, Sponsored by The James Irvine FoundationAn exploration of the challenges faced by low-income workers and efforts to address them California Economic Division.

https://www.latimes.com/