Redwood City – The San Mateo County Board of Supervisors today declared May as CalFresh Awareness Month to highlight the need for eligible residents to sign up for monthly food assistance.
“No one in San Mateo County should face the threat of hunger,” said Supervisor Warren Slocum. “CalFresh is a tremendous program that we don’t talk about enough. CalFresh truly provides a lifeline for individuals and families squeezed by inflation, high housing costs and so many other bills.”
CalFresh is California’s version of the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also known as SNAP. The program provides monthly food assistance to qualifying San Mateo County residents at risk of hunger.
As of March 2023, a total of 30,960 San Mateo County residents are signed up to receive CalFresh. That’s an increase of more than 8,000 recipients since the beginning of the pandemic in March 2020, according to the County’s Human Services Agency.
“Access to healthy and nutritious food is critical to the well-being of our community,” said Navjeet Singh, director of Economic Self-Sufficiency at the Human Services Agency. “We are committed to doing our part to make sure that everyone who is eligible for CalFresh benefits receives them.”
The County and its partners are scheduling a series of events through May to provide residents with information about CalFresh and how to determine eligibility, which is based on income.
Benefits are provided on an Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) Card, which works like a debit card.
Questions? Call the Human Services Agency Service Center, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Friday, at 1-800-223-8383.
Learn how to apply for CalFresh.
Bryan Kingston
Human Services Agency
Public Information Officer
bkingston@smcgov.org