New donor fund launched to support Shasta residents during government shutdown
The Community Foundation of the North State is collaborating with Shasta Supervisor Matt Plummer to run a fund that will help trickle local money into vital community resources to assist those impacted by the shutdown.
The Community Foundation of the North State, in collaboration with Shasta County Supervisor Matt Plummer, has set up a fund to make it easier for people to donate to community resources amidst the federal government shutdown.
The government shutdown, which started on Oct. 1, has caused widespread impacts: Hundreds of thousands of federal workers have have been furloughed or are working without pay, flights are getting delayed or cancelled more frequently, and SNAP benefits — known as CalFresh in California — will be delayed in November if the shutdown continues.
Officials in Shasta County have already begun working to assist local residents who might be affected by the shutdown. As Shasta County’s designated food bank prepares for the anticipated spike in people needing food due to CalFresh delays, the Community Foundation has opened a new donor fund that will channel money to not only the food bank, but also other organizations in the county that are providing vital services.
Community Foundation Chief Executive Officer Kerry Caranci told Shasta Scout that the Shasta Critical Response Fund is meant to provide community members affected by the government shutdown with crucial resources. Donation funds are also being set up in Tehama and Siskiyou Counties.
Caranci explained that as donations are gathered, local community members and stakeholders involved with fund management will help make decisions as to where the money is needed most and distribute the pooled donations to local nonprofit organizations, including the Dignity Health Connected Living Food Bank.
“At the top of everyone’s mind immediately is food and food access with the loss of SNAP benefits come [November] first, but we know that there could be other needs arising depending on how long the shutdown goes on,” she said. “We can figure out and work with stakeholders who are on the ground with these nonprofit organizations who are working with these individuals to see what that best fit is for the use of these donated dollars.”
Supervisor Plummer said in a mass email sent this morning that he’s working with the Community Foundation on the Shasta Critical Response Fund, adding that the goal is to raise $1.7 million by Nov. 30.
In this morning’s email, he said he plans to donate his county salary to local food banks for as long as the shutdown continues and that he plans to volunteer with distribution, as well.
He said he’s been in communication with Mercy Foundation North and Dignity Health Connected Living Food Bank “to make it as easy as possible for people to volunteer to help distribute food because we will need many more volunteers if we have to distribute hundreds of thousands pounds of additional food.”
In comments to Shasta Scout, Plummer said his net salary is around $5,000 a month. He explained that while his time and financial contributions aren’t going to amount to much given the amount of funding needed, he believes the “principle of leaders sacrificing when their people are taking a hit is important regardless of whether it solves the problem.”
The Shasta Critical Response Fund donation site can be found here.
Do you have information or a correction to share? Email us: editor@shastascout.org.
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Trump’s government shutdown is like Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill (BBB) Christmas coming early—on Halloween; it’s Scrooge’s Grim Reaper Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come. But Matt Plummer deserves credit; he’s a conservative who puts his money where his mouth is. Meanwhile, Trump refuses to release billions of emergency SNAP reserves and yet just gave $20 billion in taxpayer dollars to his MAGA buddy, Argentina’s dictator, Javier Milei. As the Trump-Republican government shutdown reaches historic levels, tomorrow, at least 42 million children, working families, seniors, and veterans will go without food and basic services. America knows what’s happening. During this week’s supervisor meeting, a speaker noted that the Trump-Republican Party shutdown could end today with just 2 votes in the Senate! And polls show the majority of Americans blame Trump and the Republican Party for their shutdown. None of this should be surprising; they’ve been shutting down the government since “Day One.” They told us they would! This is DOGE and Project 2025—this is what Shasta County voted for! Trump’s shutdown exemplifies the grand vision of the “Big, Beautiful, Bill”—cutting trillions from SNAP and Medicaid. Before the republican shutdown, reports indicated around 300,000 jobs were lost, with a downstream impact on tens of thousands more, disproportionately affecting smaller communities and rural areas like Shasta County, which now face higher costs for food, housing, and social services. And we haven’t seen nothing yet! Sure, I’ll donate to Mr. Plummer’s food project. But Matt should understand that the top 1% holds nearly as much wealth as the bottom 90%, and Matt should call the draconian BBB cuts what they are—robbing the people to give billionaires trillions while increasing the national debt. Happy Halloween and Merry Christmas.
You can always find a poll somewhere to support some argument, but by the numbers from last election, a majority of Americans support the president and dont blame Trump for the shut down. Depends on which echo chamber you live in Christian. Prop50 will pass soon and all of the liberal transplants to Redding who have had no local voice will get a well deserved cheap thrill. But every time you compare him to Hitler there is a local group of non-maga, blue dog leaning independent thinkers who laugh at you. Call it what you want– extreme partisanship, Trump derangement, or the fact you dont run a business, but to see any difference between the parties, or that this shut down is any different than when Pelosi denied a stimulis package before the 2020 election shows your inability to hold an independent thought.
Matt Plummer:
“principle of leaders sacrificing when their people are taking a hit is important regardless of whether it solves the problem.”
Sounds like virtue signaling. Better to solve the problem.
Supervisor Plummer is also dedicated to SOLVING our county’s problems. If you haven’t already, you might like to sign up for his newsletter emails, which also offer many opportunities for Shasta County residents to get involved in solving problems, too.
Sorry, not interested in his big government populist liberalism. I prefer solutions that work.
Where we go for the free food? Do they deliver or do I have to take the bus?