While food banks act as the safety net against hunger, CalFresh (formerly Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP) is the first line of defense. CalFresh’s goal is to improve the health and well-being of people who qualify for the program in every community. It provides funds for meeting nutritional needs and can be accessed via an Electronic Benefits Transfer card (EBT).
Second Harvest’s outreach assists residents by streamlining the application process. With the team’s help, more than 80% of people applying for assistance are qualified. Even given the county’s cost of living (51% above our national average), according to Forbes, approximately 40% of residents who would qualify for CalFresh support are not applying.
Rule Changes Increased Benefits
This past March, the Biden Administration and the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has restored the longstanding 1999 public charge policy. This means that immigrants can access important health, nutrition and housing benefits without fear of a negative impact on their immigration status.
Legislation taking effect in October 2021, was one of the most significant updates to the CalFresh/SNAP program in years. It results in an average benefit increase of 25%.
These new monthly benefit increases, show a single-person household increasing from $234 to $250 and a household of four from $782 to $835. These recent changes are based on new research on what U.S. households eat, key nutritional standards and for different family types and needs. The improved benefits aim to help families afford healthy meals and will remain until Sept. 30, 2022.
“The coolest thing is CalFresh recipients do not need to do anything,” said Joel Campos, community outreach director at Second Harvest. “The changes have already happened automatically, recipients should already have noticed their benefits going up.”
What CalFresh Recipients Are Saying
“I’ve been working since I was 15. I worked two jobs to put myself through college and never imagined I’d need assistance of any kind. But after relocating to Santa Cruz, I found it difficult to find a full-time job. I was freelancing and underemployed when I learned about CalFresh. The financial assistance I received really helped me to use what little income I had to pay my rent and still eat healthy food. During the pandemic, I was really surprised to receive extra CalFresh assistance. That really helped me a lot. I went from being underemployed to being unemployed for a year and a half. I am so grateful for the financial assistance I received from CalFresh during my difficult times.”
– Olivia, age 56
“I am grateful having my CalFresh food benefits to help my family, especially so my children stay healthy. I had not applied for CalFresh in over 5 years, because I am hoping to get my green card in the future. When I was at a food distribution, I met a Second Harvest Food Bank CalFresh worker who let me know about the change in the public charge rule and how applying for CalFresh for my children would not impact my chance of becoming a legal resident. I am a farmworker, and my work was ending soon, so I knew that getting CalFresh would allow me to have more money leftover at the end of the month to help with my rent, without having to use my savings. She helped me apply for the CalFresh program, and in less than a week I was able to pick up my EBT card. I was happy seeing that my family would be getting over $600 a month to use to buy groceries at the grocery store and farmers’ markets. I am so thankful about getting help applying for this program from the food bank.”
– Pajaro Valley Farmworker
An older adult from Aptos met Second Harvest’s CalFresh outreach team member Lizzy Spence at Via Pacifica Gardens. The senior told Lizzy she had previously applied for benefits but didn’t think it was worth it because she would only receive the minimum amount. Lizzy advised that due to the pandemic, everyone that qualifies would receive maximum benefits if the federal government continues the program. When she learned this, she changed her mind and decided to apply again. Lizzy was able to submit her application on the spot, connect her to the interview and get her approved the next day. She said, “Even if the maximum only continued for one month, it would be worth it!”
– Aptos older adult
“I tried applying for CalFresh in the fall quarter of 2020. But I had a meal plan and wasn’t able to do so. I was concerned about going into winter quarter without a meal plan and being unable to eat at the UC dining hall. However, I rushed to the dean of students’ office to apply for my CalFresh card and was assisted by Andreana Fernandez, a Second Harvest Food Bank, CalFresh coordinator. Andreana connected me with a CalFresh representative at County Human Services for my interview and I was quickly approved.
The food bank has an Uber program, which takes CalFresh applicants to the county office for their EBT cards. Andreana arranged my ride. The whole process from my phone interview to picking up my card only took a few hours. I was relieved having Uber access and getting groceries as soon as possible.”
– UCSC 4th year student
For information on CalFresh, contact Second Harvest Food Bank’s CalFresh team at 831-662-0991.
