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Hi my name is Maribel Cruz, interim executive director with ORALE based out of Long Beach. Our advocacy for food security stems from our immigrant and undocumented members who share with us on a daily basis the dire need for safety net programs like CFAP.

Immigrants are being attacked by federal policies and this is impacting every single aspect of an immigrant’s life in this state. Today, I'm speaking about the food insecurity for immigrants, particularly immigrant elders. Each month, we serve hundreds of people by distributing food to them on a bi-weekly basis, a majority are undocumented elders. These are grandmothers and grandfathers who have spent decades working, raising families, and building California  and today they are showing up to food lines because they have no other option.

You cannot tell hunger to wait. Hunger does not respect policy timelines. It does not care about budgets. It shows up every single day.

Immigrants 55+ deserve the same basic dignity and right to food as any California resident. 

California has long been a leader in implementing programs that benefit all its residents, regardless of immigration status. CFAP is an extension of that commitment. And every day without its implementation is another day someone in our community goes to bed hungry.

No one deserves to go hungry in California. Our undocumented elders cannot wait any longer.

So I ask that the Governor leave his role as a champion for food access and make CFAP a reality for immigrant elders in 2027.

https://www.orale.org/

My name is Jessward Docena. I’m the Organizing Manager at Alameda County Community Food Bank. We serve around 400,000 people a year.

I grew up food insecure myself. Most days, dinner was the first thing I ate. So when I say kids are going to go hungry because of this, I’m not speaking abstractly.

On April 1st, the federal cuts to immigrant CalFresh eligibility started hitting families here in California. In Alameda County alone, around 5,400 humanitarian immigrants are expected to lose access to food assistance.

That same day, we held a press conference with county leaders calling on the state to step in. Alameda County put forward millions in emergency support, and we appreciate that. But everybody in this room knows it is nowhere near enough to fill the gap.

What we’re seeing right now is fear. Families are avoiding in-person services. People are scared to ask for help publicly. At the same time, traffic to online assistance resources is climbing fast.

I just got back from DC after meetings with Senator Schiff’s office, Senator Padilla’s office, and House members. I’ll be honest, federally this is heading in a bad direction.

Researchers from UPenn are estimating these SNAP cuts could contribute to tens of thousands of premature deaths nationally over time.

So California cannot wait for Congress to fix this. Food4All is one of the clearest ways the Governor can act right now. And the window to do it is closing fast.

LCHC’s annual listening tour shows that food security is a consistent issue for Latine and Indigenous communities. Our promotoras report the daily challenges communities face to access and afford healthy nutritious food. Now is not the time to fall back on promises to ensure everyone has access to the food they need to thrive.

As a proud member of the Food4All coalition, LCHC calls on the Governor to do more  to safeguard the social safety net during times of economic hardship. We urge the Governor to expand CalFresh access to all income-eligible Californians, regardless of immigration status and age, and all California has access to culturally relevant food.