Congressman donates $50K to Fresno families losing EBT

FRESNO, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) – A local congressman announced Thursday that he will be donating a large chunk of his operating budget to support Fresno families losing access to EBT this November.

Fresno City Councilmember Nelson Esparza says he is committed to donating $50,000 to the Central California Food Bank. According to his office, the donation will support up to 200,000 meals for Fresno families in need.

“No family should have to scrape by or wonder when their next meal will be,” Esparza said. “If the federal safety net falters, we have an obligation to strengthen our local apparatus. This is about taking steps to combat the forthcoming food insecurity that is happening as a result of the federal government shutdown.”

The 200,000 meals will be enough to provide roughly 80% of the county’s population relying on EBT with one meal. However, Esparza says this is only the first of several efforts to help Fresno families navigate the impact of the program’s lapse.