A Little Help Goes Long Way

Guest Post by Christina Kam, Feeding San Diego intern

Last month I continued to do CalFresh outreach at Jewish Family Services Corner Market and St. Paul’s Cathedral locations.

One of the challenges I have seen with those facing hunger in our community is unemployment. At the Jewish Family Services Corner Market, Dani (another FSD intern) and I helped a client apply for CalFresh, who was unemployed and at the point of losing hope after applying to more than 90 jobs without much luck.

When I returned to the market two weeks later, she was there again, but looked much happier! She came over and expressed her gratitude for our assistance with her application.  Along with being approved for CalFresh, she was now preparing for a job interview.

She expressed, “When I was about to give up, you changed my life.” It made my heart so happy that she was doing well! Moments like this make me reflect on my experience as a CalFresh intern and reminded me the work I am doing is worth it.

Teaching people about CalFresh eligibility makes a huge difference. Many people don’t know if they are eligible or how to get started. I want to create a myths and facts sheet about CalFresh to be used at table set-ups or as a flyer to pass out. I look forward to continuing to help people apply for this program and make a difference in their lives.