East Bay Communities Prepare for Increased Food Demand Amid SNAP Cuts

In 2007, Nwe Oo, a mother of three, fled from a civil war in Burma to the U.S. She remembers relying heavily on government assistance like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program to feed her family.

“As a single mother, I always believed that I wanted to be independent, serve my family first, meet my needs,” Oo said.

But in reality, she continued, raising three children by herself without any extra support is difficult. “Food stamps fed my family,” Oo said. “Without that support, my family would be hungry and die.”

Oo’s reflections unfold upon a troubling and rocky timeline for refugees and people claiming asylum across the country — President Trump’s H.R. 1 federal cuts took effect Wednesday, causing recipients to lose eligibility for numerous social safety and government assistance programs.

Today, Oo works at the Community Health for Asian Americans in Oakland, California, helping immigrants like herself access health benefits that they might have been previously unaware of. But after tens of thousands of Californians became ineligible for programs like SNAP, known as CalFresh in California, her clients and many others are facing enormous setbacks in maintaining those benefits.

According to the Alameda County Community Food Bank, the East Bay is bracing for an increased food demand, with 5,400 CalFresh recipients at risk of losing their benefits.

County Supervisor Elisa Marquez said the county has raised millions of dollars for food assistance, but they still need the state’s support.

“We cannot brag that we are the fourth largest economy while our immigrants and refugee community members stay hungry,” Marquez said. “Now it’s time for the governor and our state legislators to do their part.”

A bill ensuring tens of thousands of Californians do not lose their SNAP and Medi-Cal coverage is one step closer to law. On March 25, West Sacramento lawmaker state Sen. Christopher Cabaldon’s SB 1054 unanimously passed the labor committee with bipartisan support.

But the clock is ticking.

In a 2024 report from Nourish California, an organization advocating for accessible food and resources, 64% of undocumented Californians are living in or near poverty, compared to the 35% overall statewide.

Silvia Garcia, a resident of the East Bay Cherryland community, said that although she won’t be affected by the new eligibility requirements, she fears that this is just the beginning of immigrants being stripped of their resources.

Garcia said that after her husband was deported two years ago, taking care of her three children alone has been an expensive and mentally taxing experience.

“Many times I find myself having to set aside other basic needs my children have in order to prioritize buying food,” Garcia said in Spanish.

“Other times I wake up in the middle of the night, and that terrifying panic hits me about how I’ll manage this month’s expenses,” she added.

“And just like me,” Garcia said, “There are many families facing the same situation and uncertainty.”

By June 1, California is poised to implement a new rule making requirements for CalFresh more stringent — recipients who are 18-64 years old without young children at home must fulfill more work or community engagement hours in order to maintain their eligibility.

Oo said, regardless of immigration status, people who live in the U.S. deserve access to government assistance.

“They work hard,” Oo said. “We’re Americans here serving not only our family, serving the community.”