BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — SNAP benefits are set to change in February as the current administration shifts funding, leaving many families unsure of what the changes will mean for their households.
For the past year, Ralph Soto has volunteered at Stay Focused Ministries, a local food bank serving families across Bakersfield. There, he helps stack shelves and assist those in need while also relying on the food bank himself.
“I’m getting a bag also just one day out of the week,” Soto said. “Even though they give them three days, you only get them once a week.”
Soto recently retired, but that retirement may be short-lived. Starting February 1st, changes tied to President Donald Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill,” signed into law last July, will impact the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, known in California as CalFresh. Soto says he’s already feeling the effects.
“I was getting around three hundred dollars with food stamps. I didn’t really have a problem with that,” he said. “Now it’s been cut back so much I’m down to about one twenty-five.”
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the changes affect people considered “able-bodied adults” those required to work or volunteer at least twenty hours a week to receive benefits. That includes adults without children between the ages of eighteen and sixty-four, like Soto.
The law also removes exemptions for people with children ages fourteen to eighteen, veterans, adults aging out of the foster care system, and individuals experiencing homelessness. The changes are part of a broader effort to reduce SNAP spending over the next few years.
“The impact is not just other families,” Soto said. “It’s families outside it’s me too.”
In Kern County alone, nearly 200,000 residents rely on SNAP benefits. Local food banks are already preparing for an increase in demand.
Kelly Lowery with the Community Action Partnership of Kern (CAPK) Food Bank says the organization expects the changes to affect thousands of residents.
“We’re guessing this will affect thousands of Kern County residents,” Lowery said. “But one thing I want to highlight is the resiliency of the food bank network. We saw that during the government shutdown, and we’re ready to respond again.”
The Kern County Department of Human Services says anyone receiving CalFresh who does not meet the new requirements could lose SNAP eligibility and is encouraging residents to review their status.
When asked whether the changes would allow him to retire comfortably, Soto said he’s already considering his next step.
“Well… now I might have to get a part-time job, if that’s what it’s coming down to,” he said.
You can click here for more information from CALFresh.
You can click here for more information from the USDA.
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