The reduction in benefits to nearly five-and-a-half million Californians is prompting the statewide food banks association to warn of a "catastrophic hunger crisis" this year.
Instead of functioning as sources of emergency aid, CalMatters reports food banks say they are becoming long-term supermarkets for Californians facing food insecurity.
Recipients of CalFresh, California's version of the federal food stamp program, were given the maximum benefits available for their household size during the pandemic, or at least $95 more a month if they were already at the maximum.
However, those emergency allotments ended March 26, meaning that for some single-person households, CalFresh benefits dropped from $281 to as little as $23 a month.
Also, a federal program that gives eligible households food benefits to replace in-person school meals will conclude at the end of this school year. While a summer program will replace it, the benefit will be $40 per month for each child, a substantial drop from the $125 per month for each child families received last summer.
Food banks throughout the Bay Area and Northern California have seen spikes in demand.