Disaster Food Assistance Now Available for a Limited Time

Disaster CalFresh

• Disaster CalFresh provides temporary food assistance to people recovering from disasters. People who qualify for Disaster-CalFresh will receive a debit card with one month of benefits that can be used to buy food.
• Disaster CalFresh benefits are for EVERYONE living or working in Butte, Lake, Mendocino, Napa, Nevada, Sonoma, and Yuba counties on October 8 who experienced loss due to the fires and experienced one of the following:
  • Cannot work or get paid because of the fire, or
  • Had your home or place of self-employment damaged, or
  • Have disaster-related costs (including lost food), or
  • Cannot access savings or checking accounts.
• People who are not usually eligible for CalFresh can qualify for Disaster CalFresh if they meet the criteria above. This includes students, people on SSI and others.
• In order to get Disaster CalFresh people must apply between October 25 and October 31. 

Apply for Disaster-CalFresh

• People can apply for Disaster CalFresh online at http://benefitscal.org, their county office, the local assistance center, or with Disaster CalFresh outreach workers.
• People who have been evacuated or displaced to other counties can apply for Disaster CalFresh without having to return to their home county. They can apply online at http://benefitscal.org or at the CalFresh office in the county they are currently located.
• Call 1-844-719-8808 if you have further questions.

Hot Foods Waiver

• Regular CalFresh and Disaster CalFresh recipients can use their benefits to purchase hot and prepared foods at CalFresh authorized retailers through November 15 in Butte, Contra Costa, Lake, Marin, Mendocino, Napa, Nevada, Orange, Sacramento, Solano, Sonoma, Sutter, and Yuba counties.

In order to reach as many people as possible during the seven-day application window, California Associations of Food Banks staff and CalFresh outreach workers have traveled to Sonoma County to partner with Redwood Empire Food Bank and Catholic Charities of Santa Rosa to provide Disaster CalFresh outreach and application assistance. We will keep you updated on their progress.