Meet CalFresh | CalFresh Food (2024)

People over 18 can apply either for themselves or as a household. Even if you live with parents or roommates who are working, you may still be eligible.

You can be unemployed long-term or short-term, or making a little money and still be eligible. In fact, many people on CalFresh work part-time in food service, ride sharing, dog walking, or similar jobs.

Items like your house and car typically aren’t counted as income. The same goes for savings. CalFresh is designed to help you keep your savings for things like your mortgage or college tuition.

There’s no limit to how many people or families get help. About 4.8 million Californians in 2.6 million households receive CalFresh Food benefits now, and there’s nearly 2 million more Californians who are eligible but haven’t yet signed up. So, everyone who qualifies will receive them.

CalFresh Food benefits are not a loan so you don’t have to worry about paying them back.

Applying is easy and only takes 10 minutes. You can start the process by visiting GetCalFresh.org to fill out an application. Within a week, you’ll get a call from the county for a short interview. If you’re approved, you'll

It works just like any other debit card. You can use it at most major grocery stores like Trader Joe’s and to order groceries online from your favorite places like Amazon.com. Plus, your dollars double to a certain value at many farmers markets.