SANTA ROSA, February 7, 2007 - Nearly 1,400 residents, low-income seniors and children under the age of 5 in every corner of Sonoma County, would loose monthly care packages of food under the federal budget proposed this week by President Bush.

The budget cut also would eliminate the food program now provided to more than 1,350 seniors and young people in Mendocino, Lake, Humboldt and Del Norte counties.

The program cuts are part of a $108 million reduction the president proposed in his fiscal 2008 budget.

The funds support the national Commodity Supplemental Food Program which provides nutritionally balanced packages of food each month to some 500,000 seniors and young children throughout the country, including some 54,000 in California and 2,736 on the North Coast.

This is the second consecutive year President Bush has proposed eliminating the program even though Congress worked in a bipartisan manner last year to oppose the cut and restore funding. No final federal budget was ever enacted for the 2007 fiscal year. Instead, Congress passed a continuing resolution to fund the program at 2006 levels. That funding provision expires February 15.

David Goodman, executive director of Redwood Empire Food Bank, which delivers the CSFP packages to North Coast recipients, said the new effort by the Bush administration does not make sense.

"This is the second year the administration has proposed this cut," he said. "But the seniors and low-income families of these young children are not any wealthier than they were last year. They are still in need of good health and nutrition."

Under the CSFP program, 30 to 40-lb. packages of food are distributed to eligible low- income seniors and young children are distributed monthly. The food packs are stocked according to the age and need of the recipient but typically will include a block of cheese, canned meats and tuna, peanut butter, canned vegetables and fruits, rice or macaroni, evaporated milk, cereal and formula.

The REFB distributes 2,736 food packages in its five county service area. In Sonoma County, the distributions include:

Santa Rosa - 530 seniors, 160 children
Healdsburg - 50 seniors, 50 children
Windsor - 90 seniors, 30 children
Rohnert Park/Cotati - 60 seniors, 25 children
Petaluma - 95 seniors, 34 children
Sonoma - 28 seniors, 30 children
Sebastopol - 70 seniors, 20 children
Russian River - 40 seniors, 5 children
Cloverdale - 100 seniors, 24 children
Graton - 7 seniors

Established in 1987, the REFB provides food relief to some 50,000 Sonoma County residents every month. It also assists food banks in Lake, Mendocino, Humboldt and Del Norte counties.

For more information, contact Goodman at 707-523-7900.