What You Need to Know About CalFresh Benefits This CalFresh Awareness Month  

According to the California Department of Social Services, nearly 400,000 people in San Diego County receive CalFresh benefits. CalFresh is California’s name for the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Each of these 400,000 individuals relies on the Calfresh benefits program to put nutritious food on the table. Formerly, CalFresh benefits were commonly known as food stamps, the original name for the program when it was introduced in 1977. Especially today, CalFresh is a significant program that helps low-income Californians get the food they need. Those who are eligible for CalFresh benefits receive monthly funds on an EBT card to purchase food from local stores, farmers’ markets, or online delivery services.  

SNAP History & Challenges  

SNAP is the most extensive program working to fight hunger in America, making it an essential tool hunger-relief organizations can promote to people facing food insecurity. Despite this, the program is not without its challenges. Hunger-relief advocates have had to fight to have SNAP benefit amounts increased (which finally happened in 2022). The fight continues to advocate for additional increases in the post-pandemic era. Further, hunger-relief organizations like Feeding San Diego are working to ensure CalFresh benefits are as beneficial and accessible as possible for the many people who rely on them.  

In recent months, those who receive CalFresh benefits have been thrown into an impossible situation. With the end of the Pandemic Health Emergency came the end of Emergency Allotments, additional payments CalFresh recipients were receiving during the pandemic. But with inflation, those additional payments weren’t really providing extra money. They were helping families get by in an inflated economy and perhaps try to recover from any financial fallout sustained during the pandemic years. Households that barely qualified for the minimum of $23 a month went from maximum assistance to nearly nothing overnight. 

How to Access CalFresh Benefits Through Feeding San Diego  

Our CalFresh team’s sole purpose is to provide support to our community when it comes to CalFresh benefits. Assistance is available in either English or Spanish. Our specialists are here to answer your questions, assist with the application, and follow the case until its decision. Visit the Feeding San Diego website to learn more about the process and book an appointment online. The team can also be reached by email or phone at calfreshteam@feedingsandiego.org or 858.863.6635. 

A Feeding San Diego team member helping a client apply for CalFresh

Where You Can Find Additional Money and Support if Your CalFresh Benefits Dropped  

Emergency allotments have come to an end, creating a catastrophic hunger crisis here in California, and across the country. Here are some steps you can take if your benefits have been cut.  

Make sure you’re getting all the CalFresh benefits you’re entitled to 

If your income has gone down or you no longer have an income stream because you’ve lost your job or your living expenses have risen, you may be eligible for more CalFresh benefits (view income requirements here). Seniors and persons living with a disability should also ensure they are deducting out-of-pocket medical expenses for maximum CalFresh Benefits. If this describes you, you should contact Feeding San Diego’s CalFresh team using the contact information above to discuss your situation.  

Call 211 

211 San Diego is the region’s trusted source for information and connections to community, health, and disaster resources. Help is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, and in more than 200 languages. They maintain a database of over 6,000 services and resources that are updated in real-time. In addition, their Community Connectors help connect San Diegans to the accurate information they need. 211 can help you find food resources that are most accessible to you.  

Alternatively, the CalFresh Info Line can be reached at (877) 847-3663. The California Department of Social Services Helpline is (888) 445-1955, which CalFresh says can also offer information and assistance. 

Apply for WIC 

The Women, Infants and Children Supplemental Nutrition Program (WIC) provides food assistance to lower-income families who have young children or are expecting a new child. Like CalFresh, it’s federally funded, and you can receive WIC benefits on top of your CalFresh benefits. 

The program is income-based and is available to pregnant women, plus new parents and grandparents of young children. See whether you’re eligible for WIC and apply online. You can also find a local WIC office near you to apply in person or over the phone.  

Use Market Match to double your CalFresh or WIC dollars at a farmers market 

Market Match is a statewide program that enables you to double your CalFresh benefits or Women, Infants and Children Supplemental Nutrition Program (WIC) funds at certain farmers markets and farm-direct locations near you. 

Use the Market Match map to find a participating farmers market or other farm-direct location near you. When you arrive during operating hours, go to that market’s information booth with your EBT card and ask for Market Match. Your EBT card will be swiped for a dollar amount of your choice. Correspondingly, you’ll receive tokens for double that dollar amount to spend at the market. (Another way of looking at it: Market Match effectively gives you 50% off produce you buy at participating farmers markets.) 

Two farmers markets in San Diego County offer Market Match year-round:  

Little Italy Mercato Farmers Market

W Date St & Kettner Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92101
Saturdays
8 to 2 p.m.  

Pacific Beach Tuesday Certified Farmers’ Market

901 Hornblend St.
Pacific Beach, CA 92109
Tuesdays 
2 to 7 p.m.  

Market Match is offered year-round, up to $10 per visit.  

Find a Feeding San Diego Food Distribution Near You 

Lastly, seek out food distributions if your CalFresh benefits are not covering the cost of all the food you need. Feeding San Diego provides food assistance at no cost. We work with hundreds of partners across San Diego County to distribute food to the community. Depending on the site, the distribution might be drive-through, walk-up, or a marketplace where you can choose from their available items.   

In addition to 211, you can locate food resources provided by Feeding San Diego using the Find Food Map. Simply input your zip code and set the search parameters to find a food distribution run by Feeding San Diego or one of our partners.