42 million people nationwide depend on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) for food and sustenance. Five million of these individuals reside in the state of California, and 12,000 live in Berkeley. During the government shutdown that lasted from Oct. 1 to Nov. 12, 2025 — the longest in United States history — these 42 million Americans temporarily lost access to SNAP benefits on Nov. 1 when the Department of Agriculture no longer had the funding to support them. Once the shutdown ended on Nov. 12, benefits resumed not long after.
In response to this drastic federal funding pause, Berkeley Unified School District set up multiple procedures to aid those struggling with food insecurity.
“I can tell you that families are definitely being affected by the cuts,” Leticia Amezcua, Berkeley High School’s on-site staff member from the BUSD Office of Family Engagement and Equity, said during the shutdown, “As soon as it happened, I had families calling because they were really stressed out and worried about feeding their kids … (Families) having their SNAP benefits being cut really puts a dent in their financial stability, it’s brought so much stress to them, because they are barely managing their household, barely making ends meet.” Not only were family providers affected, but these cuts also have an adverse effect on the family surrounding them. “It’s not only a stress on the parents, but working with high schoolers, they pick up that stress too, because they know their family’s circumstances,” Amezcua said.
States lack the funding that is required to be allocated towards SNAP, and therefore those dependent on these benefits became reliant on their own local communities for food security during the shutdown. Amezcua began her own response to SNAP food cuts. In room D224, Amezcua has set up her own food pantry for BUSD students with support from the local Berkeley community and the Berkeley Public Schools Fund. Amezcua stated that she is “reaching out to the Berkeley High community, and they have really come through in filling up our pantry.” On Oct. 31, Amezcua sent out a newsletter to all parents of BHS, iterating the importance of donations and community support. So far, Amezcua’s pantry has received more donations than ever before. Bins are lined inside and outside of her office with canned goods, clothing, and other miscellaneous resources sourced from Berkeley Community Donations.
Additionally, Amezcua also emphasized the importance of the Berkeley Public Schools Fund, a local nonprofit organization that supports BUSD, during emergencies like these. “It really came down to us and our community partner, the Berkeley Public Schools Funds. They immediately went into action and setting out messaging to the community to raise funds (for students).” Although BUSD has yet to provide sufficient funds for food security for Berkeley families, Amezcua stated, “The best way to continue this (support) is for families to continue donating through the (Berkeley) Public Schools Fund, because they are able to hold those funds.” Beginning the week of Nov. 17, grocery store gift cards are available with assistance from the Berkeley Public Schools Fund.
The BUSD response included a document shared with staff to spread information about resources accessible to students. Kate Purnell, a Berkeley International High School English teacher, was one of many teachers who were instructed to share a Google document provided by BUSD administration on where to find food resources in critical times. “I think it would be nice to have something to help build community, like having students come in with offerings like a food bank, or to maybe have food pick up here that is available for families … I think that would have been nice to see other than just posting this link or this Google doc,” Purnell said. Although BUSD is sharing an important resource, it was not able to offer sustainable solutions for struggling families during the SNAP lapse.
Roshan Nazar, president of the newly-founded Helping Hands club, said, “Right now we’re doing more surface-level stuff, so we’re going to volunteer and cook a lot of meals and give them out,” and also spoke on future plans he has with his community service-oriented club. “I have a lot of contacts that I can help out and we might have food drives in the future,” Nazar said.
Although SNAP benefits have now returned, it serves as an example of BUSD students and staff taking matters into their own hands to support and uplift one another during times of crisis.