SNAP recipients in California briefly exhaled after payments landed Thursday, following federal court orders directing USDA to tap contingency funds during the shutdown. Gov. Gavin Newsom said food aid was flowing again, and students and single mothers like Zuri Crawford and Abigail Villavicencio adjusted plans with relief. By late Friday, however, the Supreme Court granted the Trump administration’s request to block those rulings, threatening a renewed halt to benefits and stoking fresh anxiety. Many families are stretching pantry staples, school donations and campus resources as costs rise and schedules strain.

Prepared by Lauren Mitchell and reviewed by editorial team.