Bay Area Headlines

Marin County approves funds to cover for SNAP benefits

KALW | By Sunni Khalid

Published November 5, 2025 at 7:08 PM PST

Even though Friday's cuts in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program - food stamp - benefits have been planned for years, angry House Democrats rallied against the cuts this week on Capitol Hill. Their bill to delay the cuts has stalled.

On Tuesday, the Marin County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved the allocation of 800-thousand dollars to the Marin Community Foundation and the San Francisco Marin Food Bank. The money will supplement the loss of federal food assistance amid the government shutdown, which has gone on for 35 days.

Nearly 42 Million Americans depend on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP. But funds for the federal program ran dry on Saturday.

In Marin County, there are 15,500 residents that receive SNAP benefits, known as CalFresh. County Executive Derek Johnson said this number includes more than 4,000 children and more than 3,000 older adults.Local nonprofits have also stepped in to help.

The Agricultural Institute of Marin, which operates nine farmers markets across the Bay Area, has established an emergency fund to help more than 1,200 households get free produce from its market vendors.