MAMMOTH, MONO DON’T SNAP
Even when the federal stiffs the waitress, Mono County will always pick up the tab.
This week, both the Mono County Board of Supervisors and the Mammoth Lakes Town Council unanimously approved allocating up to $100,000 each (a combined $200,000) to ensure residents can still buy groceries while CalFresh benefits remain stuck in political limbo.
The federal uncertainty began when, as a result of the ongoing government shutdown, the Trump administration announced it would halt funding for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) payments starting Nov. 1. The move also barred states from using federally contracted EBT systems to distribute aid for the first time in U.S. history. In California, SNAP is known as CalFresh.
In Mono County, 507 households depend on CalFresh to buy groceries, and more than half of them live in Mammoth Lakes. Each month, their benefits are loaded onto an EBT card, which works like a debit card. Counties handle eligibility, but the funds are entirely federal, said Kathy Peterson, Mono County Health and Human Services Director.
At least, they’re usually entirely federal.
When she learned of the freeze, Peterson drafted an emergency plan for the County to provide its own prepaid grocery cards to CalFresh households, worth about 50% of their usual benefits.
She moved quickly to bring the idea forward, but not as quickly as the federal government backtracked.
Just days after announcing the halt, two federal judges ruled that the administration must keep funding SNAP through November. The federal government then announced it would authorize CalFresh benefits for the month.
Still, Peterson anticipated that even if the funds came, they’d be delayed.
“Even in the best-case scenario, people go 15 days without having received those benefits,” Peterson said. “This program can be used to fill that gap.”
Being that October’s CalFresh benefits in Mono County totaled around $150,000, Peterson recommended the County still allocate at least $75,000 toward the grocery cards and another $5,000 toward local food pantries.
The Board of Supervisors ultimately approved $100,000 for the program, and the Town of Mammoth Lakes followed suit the next day with a 1:1 match.
“I’d prefer more of the funds get spent on direct support, sort of like when we did the food bank stuff during COVID,” County Supervisor John Peters said in advocating for a higher allocation than Peterson’s recommended $80,000. “I think this is going to root out more need than maybe we can meet the demand for.”
The County pulled the $100,000 from savings, while the Town committed its full contingency fund, planning to refill the fund during upcoming quarterly budget reviews based on actual expenditures.
With $200,000 committed, the program could cover up to a month and a half of missed federal benefits. Once the government does begin administering SNAP benefits again, there is no way the County or the town would be reimbursed for the money spent on the pre-paid cards.
“Well, then [the recipients] will just have a nice Christmas,” said Amanda Rice, Mammoth Lakes Council member, hearing this. “That’s okay.”
As of Wednesday evening, the County’s Health and Human Services Department had already purchased about $20,000 worth of grocery cards from Grocery Outlet and Vons. In unincorporated areas with fewer grocery options, eligible residents may instead receive prepaid Visa gift cards, since some shop in bulk across the border in Nevada.
To receive a card, residents must already be enrolled in CalFresh and pick it up in person from the Health and Human Services office. Unlike CalFresh EBT cards, the county-issued cards won’t restrict what items can be purchased, though recipients will sign a certification agreeing not to use them for alcohol or tobacco.
“It won’t be perfect,” Peterson said. “We’re charting new territory without precedent to follow.”
The County plans to continue purchasing cards in batches and distributing them weekly until federal benefits resume or funds are exhausted.
Inyo County Still Developing Plan
The Inyo County Board of Supervisors has not taken any action to adress food insecurity so far.
It is currently looking at options to support the approximate 1,200 residents on SNAP in the County, but is still solidifying the details of such plans, said Jeff Griffiths, Inyo County Supervisor. It may release more information next week.
Food Assistance Resources
Some of the funding will also go toward bolstering food pantries at Health and Human Services offices in Mammoth (1290 Tavern Road), Bridgeport (37 Emigrant St.), and Walker (107384 Hwy 395).
Inyo Mono Advocates for Community Action (IMACA) will also continue its regular food drops this month:
Mammoth Lakes — Nov. 13, 3–4 p.m. (St. Joseph’s Church)
June Lake — Nov. 18, 11:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m. (Community Center)
Lee Vining — Nov. 18, 10:30–11 a.m. (Community Center)
Walker — Nov. 26, 10–10:45 a.m. (Senior Center)
Bridgeport — Nov. 26, 12:30–1 p.m. (Community Center)
The Salvation Army (220 Sierra Manor Rd, Mammoth), the Second Chance Thrift Store (501 Old Mammoth Rd, Mammoth), and Eastern Sierra Community Housing (587 Old Mammoth Rd, Mammoth) offers emergency supplies and support.
Visit www.cdss.ca.gov/ for the latest information on CalFresh benefits.
