Memorandum
Date: November 18, 2025
To: The Honorable Lake County Board of Supervisors
From: Rachael Dillman Parsons, Social Services Director
Subject: (a) Consideration of an Update from the Food Insecurity Ad Hoc Workgroup; and (b) Approval of a Local Disaster Declaration due to Food Insecurity; and (c) Approval of Additional Funding for Hunger Relief; and (d) Direction to Staff
Executive Summary: As your board is aware, on November 4, 2025, in response to the federal shutdown delaying the issuance of November 2025 CalFresh benefits, your board approved $40,000 per week, $80,000 total for two weeks to provide hunger relief. Additionally, your board established the Food Insecurity Ad Hoc Workgroup, facilitated by Social Services Director Rachael Dillman Parsons, to carry out your directions to staff.
(a) I am recommending your board consider an update from the Food Insecurity Ad Hob Workgroup regarding our actions over the past two weeks, as well as an update on food insecurity in Lake County, including the status of CalFresh and demand on our food banks and feeding partners, potential impact of ACA subsidy loss, projected impact of H.R. 1, and recent economic data on employment/unemployment and cost of living, particularly the rising cost of groceries. Given the rapidly changing situation, the details of this update will be presented on the day of this agenda item.
(b) I am recommending your board declare a local disaster due to food insecurity in Lake County. Our California Department of Social Services (CDSS) Disaster Branch liaison recently informed us that a location Disaster Declaration allows our TEFAP Food Bank, Clear Lake Gleaners Inc., to request disaster food boxes from the CDSS Disaster Branch, if food boxes are available. A disaster declaration may make other state resources available to us in the future, although none are currently available.
(c) I am recommending your board consider allocating additional administrative funding for hung...
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