photo credit: AP

With CalFresh benefits still largely paused for the month of November, families band together to make sure their neighbors don’t go hungry.

"My name is Erin Jackson and I started the Grocery Buddy Group in Sonoma County." said Jackson.

KRCB News asked if she had a history in community organizing.

"No, absolutely none," Jackson replied.

Jackson is a mother of three. She said she works part time, and cares for her kids. Jackson started the Grocery Buddy Facebook group because she saw a post on Instagram, where one family supported a grocery run for someone who’d had federal food assistance paused.

"So I actually shared it and I was like, Sonoma County, are we in?" Jackson said. 

Distribution of CalFresh, California’s version of the SNAP program, was put on pause for the month of November.

It affects around 47,000 people in Sonoma County, who use the pre-loaded cards to buy at food at grocery stores and farmers markets.

While legal battles have reinstated some benefits, Jackson said some people tell her their benefits are back in full, and others none.

Jackson said she started the Facebook group figuring, at the least, she’d sponsor a grocery run for a family. But quickly, her friends were on board, and soon the community began to show up.

"The outreach was so great on both sides of helpers and people in need," she said. 

Jackson said she began assigning an available “buddy” to match a family.

"But there was people who would message me and say like, I'm out of food right now," she said.

So she and her growing team began putting together emergency boxes, supported by cash donations.

Jackson said she’s been overjoyed with the strength of community support, but feels conflicted whether this should be their role in the first place.

"I absolutely love what we're doing and I think it's amazing and it's, brings out the best in people and this is humanity and this is all the things we could hope and wish for in our community and out of our neighbors," she said. "But the other side of me feels angry that we're even put in this position from our government."

Jackson said they’ll keep going until everyone’s CalFresh benefits have been reinstated. They've now buddied over 65 different families in two weeks, and packaged 40 emergency boxes, all from Jackson's living room.

The small team is now planning Thanksgiving and Christmas themed emergency boxes. Jackson said they'd welcome more buddies to sponsor families and cash donations too. More information can be found on Facebook at the Sonoma County Families in Need Grocery Buddy page.