BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — Local nonprofits are facing significant funding cuts from CAPK, impacting food distribution for low-income families.
- Upside Academy Inc. founder NaTesha Johnson reports a drastic reduction in families served due to funding shortages.
- CAPK program manager Blaine Hodge indicates an 85% decrease in Cal Foods funding and 40% drop in USDA food resources.
- 117,000 people in Kern County are uncertain about their next meal due to these funding issues.
- Community support is crucial; Johnson urges for collective action to help sustain local nonprofits.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Natesha Johnson, founder of Upside Academy Inc., highlights the ongoing issue with CAPK food bank funding discontinuation.
With CAPK facing significant budget cuts, local nonprofits are feeling the strain, and the people who rely on them for their next meal will bear the brunt.
Johnson states, "As small non-profit we were shopping at Walmart, we were shopping at Albertsons and we couldn't keep up with the overhead and the cost."
Johnson is the founder of the non-profit Upside Academy Inc. They're one of the 166 partners that shop at CAPK food bank for low-income families. Johnson has many worries about the funding shortages that CAPK is facing.
She explains, "It all trickles down to the families so if we can't feed them we have to come up with another plan how do we feed them how do we give them the resources that they need."
Those are some of the many questions she has, as CAPK has allowed her to provide food for more than 20 families a month, but now she estimates her organization can only provide for 1 to 3 families.
Blaine Hodge, program manager of CAPK, tells me that there is an 85% decrease in discontinuation of funds through Cal Foods and a 40% decrease for USDA foods that is hitting Kern County's CAPK hard, as he walks me down the 6 aisles that are soon to be gone.
Hodge remarks, "Unfortunately come August September all the resources that you guys see here will be gone, I thought it would be important for people to see that."
Hodges says it's 800 pallets worth of food that won't be able to be restored, and also 14 deliveries that have been canceled.
He adds, "There's a big CCC cut that came through and essentially any quote on quote bonus loads that we're going to be sent to different food banks across the state have been canceled and that is just for the first quarter of the year"
According to Kern County Public Health, 117,000 people in Kern County don't know where their next meal will come from.
Hodges explains food items that cost you and arm and a leg for those who are food insecure will no longer be available,"All of these items I'm talking about are your staple items—your milk, tuna, rice, beans, fruits—all those things are going to be impacted."
As the uncertainty grows for the local nonprofits, Johnson remains hopeful.
Johnson states, "Anyone who has great ideas or resources to help support CAPK help support nonprofits whether small or large we need the village to come together and make this happen."
For those who want to help out CAPK and give back to those dealing with food insecurity, you can text FEED KERN to 50155 a $100 donation provides full meals for those in need.
If you want to learn more about the numbers of food insecurity in Kern County you can click here.
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