SNAP shutdown: Nearly half million San Francisco Bay Area residents rely on CalFresh

CONCORD, Calif. - The clock is ticking for the 42 million Americans who rely on federal food benefits as the government shutdown drags on.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture says it will run out of money to fund the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program — or SNAP — by Saturday if Congress does not act. The program provides monthly food benefits to low-income families and individuals across the country.

Some of the nation’s most vulnerable people depend on SNAP, including more than half a million residents in the San Francisco Bay Area. Nearly 40% of recipients are children, 20% are seniors, and about 10% are people with disabilities.

Senate Democrats introduced a bill this week to continue funding SNAP during the shutdown, but the measure failed to pass, leaving millions uncertain