Largest cut to food assistance in history proposed
Roseville, Calif.- I remember meeting Carlos* at a PantryToGo distribution in Roseville. He's a veteran who served his country with honor-but on that day, he told me he'd skipped his own meals for a week so he could afford insulin. Witnessing a man with a steady paycheck make that choice reminded me that food insecurity doesn't discriminate-and it certainly doesn't stay hidden.
In our region, this crisis is very real. In Placer County, nearly 1 in 7 residents and 1 in 6 children face food insecurity, meaning they aren't sure where their next meal is coming from. In El Dorado County, 8% of residents and nearly 11.7% of children experience the same uncertainty. That's thousands of neighbors relying on programs like CalFresh (SNAP) and Medicaid just to survive.
Largest cut in history proposed
Yet Washington currently threatens these lifelines. A recent House bill proposes the largest cut to food assistance in U.S. history-enough to eliminate 9.5 billion meals annually. These are not abstract statistics-they're actual meals taken away from our mothers, veterans like Carlos, hardworking families, seniors, and people with disabilities.
Let's be clear: SNAP and Medicaid are not handouts. They are critical tools helping 42 million Americans and 72 million Medicaid users, including many in our foothills, stay healthy and engaged in the community.
Children, seniors, or people with disabilities
Almost 80% of SNAP households include children, seniors, or people with disabilities, and about 40% of Medicaid recipients also rely on SNAP. These programs are intertwined and life-saving.
At Feeding the Foothills, we've made incredible strides: 1.1 million clients served, 15.3 million meals distributed, and 128,000 individuals supported through PantryToGo alone in the past year. But as need grows, these programs help stabilize emergency relief with consistent support. Without them, our community would literally go hungry-and sick.
So here's what's next:
As a Feeding America food bank, we are advocating for our neighbors by asking California Senators Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff to reject these devastating cuts and protect SNAP and Medicaid. These programs are not optional-they are essential.
Hunger and ill health know no bounds. They show up in veterans, in children, in seniors, in neighbors you've lived next door to your whole life. We have the systems to prevent that-but removing them sends others to browsers empty.
We're committed to our mission: to nourish, to support, to advocate. But we can't do it alone. It's time for our lawmakers to stand with us.
With hope and resolve,
Dave Martinez
Executive Director, Feeding the Foothills
*Name changed to protect privacy