Counting Hunger So We Can End It

Earlier this month, I stood inside the warehouse at the San Francisco-Marin Food Bank surrounded by individuals packing groceries for families across the Bay Area. Boxes moved steadily down the line. Fresh produce was sorted and stacked. Drivers mapped out delivery routes to bring food to families in need.

What happens in that warehouse isn’t some abstract policy. It’s action. It’s a child going to school with a full stomach. A senior who doesn’t have to choose between groceries and medication. A working parent able to put dinner on the table after a long shift in one of the most expensive regions in the country.

Food security is not theoretical. It is measured in meals packed, in shelves stocked and in neighbors who show up for one another.

But to do this work effectively, compassion alone is not enough. We also need clarity. We need accurate data to understand how many people are struggling with hunger, who they are and where the gaps in our safety net exist.

That clarity is now at risk.

Recently, the federal government eliminated funding for the USDA’s national hunger survey and cut support for the food insecurity screener within California’s own Health Interview Survey. These tools have long provided essential insight into how people are doing, especially for working families and seniors on a budget.

If we stop measuring hunger, I can assure you that hunger will not disappear. But what will disappear is our ability to respond. Without reliable data, policymakers are left to make decisions in the dark. Nonprofits lose insight into what our neighbors need. In a city like San Francisco, families can earn more than the federal poverty line and still struggle to afford food. Those struggles will go unseen.

Right now, California has a choice: We can accept this blindfold from a reckless federal administration, or we can step up.

In partnership with the San Francisco-Marin Food Bank, I was proud to introduce the Count Hunger Act to protect and restore California’s ability to measure food insecurity. This legislation will establish a pilot program to reinstate the federally defunded survey, while also broadening eligibility to better reflect the real cost of living in our state.

Every day, the volunteers and staff at the San Francisco-Marin Food Bank show up for our neighbors. Now, it’s time for Sacramento to step up and do the same.

Assemblymember Catherine Stefani represents California’s 19th Assembly District, which includes the west side of San Francisco and northern San Mateo County. She can be reached at 415-557-2312 or Assemblymember.Stefani@assembly.ca.gov.