Due to the ongoing government shutdown, which began on October 1, 2025, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) has been a part of a series of government-funded resources that have been halted.
Rural communities such as McFarland and Wasco are already marginalized communities where many people rely on SNAP benefits to feed their families. Although residents receive SNAP benefits, the underlying issue remains; these rural communities are not receiving an adequate amount of support from the resources provided.
In Kern County as a whole, roughly 200,000 residents rely on government-funded nutritional assistance, and approximately 4,800 people are adults 18-64 years old with children, according to the California Association of Food Banks’ county sheet.
David Hernandez, a recipient of CalFresh benefits and longtime Wasco resident, mentioned that in his family of seven, CalFresh is only able to cover so much.
“I mean, we’ve had these benefits for a while, but with three teenage boys and two other growing kids, sometimes we feel a little strapped,” said Hernandez. “With these benefits, sometimes it feels like we’re barely covering what we need. Now, without them, I think we would go through some real tough times,” he continued.
McFarland, another rural community with roughly 14,000 residents, lies between Wasco and Delano. However, residents of this community are forced to make their way into neighboring communities in order to receive support for food assistance. But within a community where 27.5% of residents live below the poverty line, according to Data USA, it seems almost unfeasible to do so.
“Thankfully, I can travel to Wasco or to Delano or even Bakersfield, to receive help from food banks, but I know that for a lot of the people here, that just isn’t in their reality,” said Jasmine Rodriguez, resident of McFarland and recipient of CalFresh benefits. “I have friends and family that can barely afford gas to get to work, let alone travel thirty miles to and from just to get the help they need,” she continued.
Julian Herrera, a seventh-grade teacher at McFarland Junior High and a longtime resident of McFarland, stated that children are about to receive nutritional support at school, but worries about when they are out of school.
“We are a low-income community, and there is no avoiding that. Especially our east side of town,” said Herrera. “Inside of school, students get more than enough nutritional help. We provide food, breakfast, second chance breakfast, and then lunch. And then if they’re in after-school activities, they even get a little snack. Outside of school, this is where it becomes worrisome.”
Herrera noted that they also need resources beyond food support.
“Very few times we see community outreach outside of something that is either a sporting event, something that is a celebration,” said Herrera. “You don’t see a lot of community outreach. It would be nice to have something where they say we’re having a flu clinic or we’re going to have a health clinic, and really put it out there. Things like that aren’t really publicized, and it would be nice to see a little bit more of that.”
Programs such as Community Action Partnership of Kern (CAPK) have decided to help the needs of such families. They have provided both drive-through and walk-up services for families that can show proof of their SNAP eligibility in cities such as Ridgecrest, Bakersfield, Taft, and Delano.
There will be a distribution for CalFresh recipients at Westside Park in Wasco on November 12, 2025, from 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
For community members who cannot attend the CalfFresh distribution, there is also a weekly distribution at the Wasco Free Will Baptist Church, every Saturday, with the support of CAPK from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
“I know that if this wasn’t organized that a lot of people would go to bed hungry at night, and now they can actually receive support,” said Hernandez about the distributions.
Community members in Kern impacted by the government shutdown can visit capk.org/shutdown or call 211 to find available resources.
Federal employees affected by the government shutdown can visit the CAPK food bank located at 1807 Feliz Drive. Bakersfield, California, from Monday to Saturday, from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m.
