San Joaquin County nonprofits get their funding cut from state, national levels
STOCKTON — In San Joaquin County, roughly one in ten people are food insecure.
To get help, families line up at local food banks to stock up, but because of federal cuts, one food bank says they've lost about 500 boxes of food a week.
Another organization we spoke with got a big boost from the county board of supervisors, so the director says they could make their payroll.
This comes as roughly 80,000 people in the county don't know where their next meal is coming from, and these organizations work to feed them, despite funding challenges.
"If we give them Eggos, we have to give them beef patties to go with it," said Cheryl Francis as she put together a box of food.
She and her team pack up hundreds of boxes of food every day, feeding thousands of families a week.
Francis is the director and founder of Grace and Mercy Charitable Foundation in Lodi. She and her team help thousands of families throughout the county.
"We do 3,800 meals a week for our senior citizens. We do 350 meals for the access center every week," she said.
According to Feeding America, over 13% of the county's population is food insecure.
"If we give them the food, they can afford to go buy gas, they can afford to get glasses, to get whatever they need," Francis said.
But last year, Francis' organization was left out of the state budget, with no word on her funding coming back in this year's budget or anytime soon.
The emergency food bank in south Stockton is also facing federal cuts. They lost about 500 boxes of food a week that would've gone to families in San Joaquin County, including boxes that would've gone to Grace and Mercy.
In late March, San Joaquin County Board Supervisor Stephen Ding granted Francis $10,000 to continue her work. He said in a statement: "Right now, [they] are between funding cycles, and our support is helping fill that gap so these vital services can continue."
"Without him, we would not have made payroll and some of the other things that were necessary in order to keep our business going," Francis said.
It kept food on the table for others and food for her warehouse staff like Toriontay Thompson to pack up and give away.
"It's hard times right now. Gas prices are rising. Food prices are very high," Thompson said. "So I'm fortunate to help out someone who needs the help."
Francis hopes things will change in future budgets to include her organization again and to make even more of an impact.
"Everyone needs money. We can't keep the doors open without it," she said.
Francis also added that prayer is what helps her get through this. She says her organization is always looking for money, food donations, and volunteer help as well.
The organization gets its food from big stores like Food 4 Less, Foodmaxx, Grocery Outlet, Sprouts, and other big chains that have food that needs to be moved out for new products but is still good.
