State budget could cut the IE's biggest food bank to a tenth of its CalFood supply

Citrus Belt Review: Feeding America Riverside | San Bernardino, the region's largest hunger-relief organization, stands to lose most of its state CalFood money under the governor's May budget revision. The program would revert to its longstanding $8M statewide baseline — a roughly 90% cut — taking FARSB's allocation from $2.3 million to about $262,000 a year. The food bank says CalFood makes up as much as a quarter of its supply, and is the money it leans on for the items donors rarely give: fresh produce, dairy, meat, low-sodium staples. FARSB distributes more than 3.3 million pounds of food a month across Riverside and San Bernardino through roughly 250 partner pantries, churches, and nonprofits.

The timing is the problem. Staff report rising demand driven by higher living costs and gas prices, and coming CalFresh benefit reductions through 2026 and 2027 are expected to push more families toward food banks just as the supply money thins. The food bank estimates the cut could affect roughly 950,000 IE families. The state budget is due by mid-June, which makes this a live number rather than a projection — advocates are pressing Sacramento to fund CalFood well above the baseline before it lapses.