With funding for a major food program in doubt because of the federal shutdown, the city of Fresno is stepping up.

The Fresno City Council is scheduled to vote on contributing $250,000 to the Central California Food Bank next Thursday.

Mayor Jerry Dyer and Councilmember Nelson Esparza are sponsoring the resolution. Esparza said $50,000 will come from his district office.

“The horrifying reality is there are still families on Sunday who will go to the grocery store and find out the hard way that those benefits were not renewed for this month. And that’s truly heartbreaking,” Esparza said Friday.

Esparza said that although it is not a usual City Hall function, the city needed to “step up.” He talked with Dyer at last Thursday’s city council meeting.

“I said we got to do something, we got to do something bigger. I’m gonna do this, but we’ve got to amplify it, we’ve got to reach more people,” Esparza said.

The money could provide 1 million meals, Esparza said.

Federal Court Orders Trump to Fund SNAP

Two federal courts ruled that the government must continue funding SNAP, even though the Trump administration insists funds have run out.

“While some politicians in D.C. continue to hold food hostage and continue to hold health care hostage from some of our most vulnerable communities, we here in the Valley are coming together with our congressmen in partnership and collaboration to mitigate those impacts,” Esparza said.

Rep. Jim Costa, D-Fresno, blamed Republicans for the shutdown and the threat to food benefits.

“It’s irresponsible not to fund government,” Costa said.

Costa said there is $5 billion in contingency funds to spend on SNAP, which covers about 30% of his district — or 67,000 households — in parts of Fresno and Tulare counties.

“I will wait with anxious anticipation as I leave back for Washington,” Costa said about how the Trump administration will react.