_{Thumbnail photo: The FRC of the Redwoods’ Pacific Pantry has set up A Mighty Cause fundraising campaign to prepare for a surge of need should CalFresh benefits be suspended starting Saturday. | Photo courtesy of A Mighty Cause.}

Updated at 4:31 p.m.:

Iya Mahan, food program director for the DNATL Community Food Council, said the Emergency Food Task Force has been activated in response to the potential suspension of SNAP benefits for Del Norte families.

Originally created to respond to natural disasters, Mahan said that with nearly 4,000 families that will be potentially impacted the task force is working together to come up with solutions.

“There have been a lot of people who want to get involved,” she told Redwood Voice Community News on Wednesday. “So we are making sure that we’re not duplicating efforts. For the people who want to get involved, I’m having them fill out a form so I can get them to the right people.”

The Emergency Food Task Force includes local food banks, Del Norte Unified School District’s Department of Nutrition Services, the Del Norte Office of Emergency Services and the Del Norte County Department of Health and Human Services.

For more information on food security resources, click here. Organizations that distribute food resources are asked to click on this link to fill out a short form.

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Original Post:

People are stepping up to ensure Del Norte families don’t go hungry next month, though District 2 Supervisor Valerie Starkey still hopes this was a “just how-prepared-are-you” kind of test.

After learning that an average of 3,900 families could be without their CalFresh benefits in November due to the federal government shutdown, Starkey said Monday that the community was “mobilizing.”

On Wednesday, she posted on Facebook that the Emergency Food Task Force met to ensure local food banks had the supplies and volunteers necessary to meet the increased need. It’s also coordinating resources with other community partners and churches.

Continue reading (Updated) Del Norte Safety Net Mobilizes Ahead of Potential Suspension Of CalFresh Benefits To 3,900 Families →