Background of Food on Every Table Fund

In late October and early November 2025, SNAP recipients in Marin County and across the country were subjected to a cruel whiplash of rulings and appeals related to food benefits. As a result, Marin County experienced a substantial increase in traffic to food banks and local food pantries. To support our neighbors and the nonprofit organizations already stretched thin doing the work to make sure families were fed, we worked quickly to establish the Food on Every Table Fund. We seeded the fund with $500,000 but in a matter of days, the fund grew to more than $1 million thanks to the generous support of our donors and community members. 
We didn’t stop there. In addition to the fundraising, we worked closely with the County of Marin and local food partners SF-Marin Food Bank, ExtraFood, and Agricultural Institute of Marin to determine how best and most quickly we could move the funding to reduce or eliminate any gaps in coverage. It was an unprecedented situation, and all involved were working in an environment that changed daily through federal court rulings and federal appeals. By November 10th, we learned that the federal funds for SNAP beneficiaries were finally transferred in full, for the month of November. Although this was a huge relief for thousands of our neighbors, we continued distributing funds for food assistance especially as the holidays approached and food assistance needs remained high in Marin County. The grants made to a network of local partners including ExtraFood.org, Agricultural Institute of Marin, and Community Resiliency helped stabilize 3,578 residents in 1,198 households, via direct assistance gift cards. Overall, during the period of the government shutdown we deployed $225,000.
 

Where we are now 
 

The federal government continues to pursue sweeping cuts to food benefits that will affect millions. Federal HR 1 provisions are officially in effect meaning SNAP benefits are further restricted for certain immigrants without Lawful Permanent Resident (LPR, or green card status) including, refugees, asylees, trafficking victims, and other certain noncitizens that were previously eligible. Additionally, starting in June 2026, expanded federal work requirements will put CalFresh benefits at risk for a large share of current recipients. Critically, many income-eligible residents are expected to lose benefits not because they fail to qualify, but due to administrative processing failures. This is a burden that will fall disproportionately on older adults aged 59–64 and people experiencing homelessness.
Marin is fueled by the hard work of neighbors living on SNAP, and they in turn are fueled by nourishing food. Marin residents living on SNAP serve as home health aides, restaurant employees, delivery truck drivers and receptionists. They serve on non-profit boards and volunteer in our community. Making sure everyone has food makes our community strong.
“I’m very proud of the Food on Every Table Fund because it represents the best of Marin – neighbors stepping up for each other when it matters most. Hunger in America should not be happening anywhere, especially here in Marin.  As we navigate uncertain times, I am buoyed by both my gratitude and hope for our community.  Every family, every child, every person in our community should have the food they need to both survive and thrive.” - Rhea Suh, President and CEO, MCF]
In conversation with our County, Community Resilience Teams and nonprofit partners, we jointly decided that the logical next step to the Food on Every Table Fund is to retrofit it so the remaining funds support impacted SNAP recipients via a qualified direct assistance platform. The direct assistance platform will provide nearly 1,700 Marin County residents with physical or virtual “gift cards” to use for food purchases. This innovative approach is made possible thanks to the partnership between the County of Marin, Give Card, SF-Marin Food Bank and Community Action Marin. This program bridges the gap for residents losing food benefits, providing up to $600 in grocery support through a flexible, tapered payment schedule – so no family faces an abrupt cutoff. 
The Food on Every Table Fund proves that when our community stands together, no federal funding lapse can leave Marin families hungry. MCF is proud to be a leader in this initiative to meet our community’s needs more directly and build resilience in a time when federal programs are inconsistent and unreliable. We remain committed to being transparent in the use of funds and will continue to refresh this page as updates come. 

Where you can help!
 

To make sure our Food on Every Table Fund reaches every Marin County resident who needs it, we need additional community members to step up. Please consider making a donation. Whether it’s $5 or $500, every dollar goes towards making sure Marin County families have food on their tables. 
You can also visit our website, follow us on LinkedIn and/or subscribe to President and CEO Rhea Suh’s Substack for the latest updates on the fund, including community events to drive awareness and education and to encourage donations from businesses all around Marin County.