Like those across the country, residents of the Riverbank area are also being affected by the national SNAP – Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program – funding lapse. SNAP is known in California as the CalFresh program.

According to organizer Lynda Silva, who maintains the Riverbank Christian Food Sharing organization, residents of Riverbank, and of the Riverbank Unified School District, who utilize their weekly distribution site have just about doubled, to around 200 participants each week. The loss of SNAP funds is largely viewed as the reason for the substantial increase.

The Food Sharing program is located on High Street, in front of the Scout Hall there. The hours are 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. on Fridays. Drivers form a line on High Street, while volunteers bag the groceries, check their credentials, load them and the recipients then drive off.

Volunteers who work on the program come from many locations. This past week, firefighters from Stanislaus Consolidated Fire Department, aboard Engine 26, came to help and were able to stay until they received a call for service.

Silva said their organization had been working without some of its federal funding since October 2024.

She also said that folks who wanted to help contribute to the program could do so through the Riverbank Save Mart, where bags of $5 and $10 worth of groceries are available for purchase to donate.

The Food Sharing program here is available to residents of Riverbank or those who live within the boundaries of the Riverbank Unified School District.