1. Increase public funding to food banks, to buy more from small farmers and distribute the produce to all.

“Funding for local procurement at food banks gets at all of the bottom lines by keeping small, local farms in business, and by growing fresh, healthy food for people who need it and who don’t have to qualify for it.”

—Catherine Brinkley, faculty director of the UC Davis Center for Regional Change

2. Expand access to undocumented: Beginning in 2025, California will be the first state to issue food stamps to undocumented immigrants who are 55 and older. Advocates are calling for this policy to be expanded to all of California’s 2.3 million undocumented people and beyond to drastically reduce hunger in the state.

“We’re talking about undocumented people, DACA recipients, temporary protected status immigrants, and some visa holders.” 

—Betzabel Estudillo, head of the Food4All campaign by advocacy group Nourish California

3. Provide produce prescriptions: Imagine going to the doctor, who gives you a prescription to buy fresh fruits and veggies, and then getting reimbursed by your insurance provider. “Produce prescriptions” are already being tried in Stockton and Los Angeles, and advocates are calling for its large-scale expansion.

“By 2040…we can create a system that has the capacity to feed every Californian well.”

—Michael Dimock, executive director of think tank Roots of Change