During times of crises and disasters — whether natural or human — California Association of Food Banks works to make sure that our food banks are supported, those impacted know how to find resources, and those looking to help have a path to participate.
Disaster CalFresh has not begun. It must first be safe to return to the area before the program will be implimented. More information and details here.
Updated 2025-01-16 @ 4:15 p.m.
Here’s what we do during a disaster:
Work in lock-step with the food bank in the impacted area, helping them get what they need. This often includes:
Securing and delivering food (especially fruits like apples / oranges, water, and no-cook foods)
Connect with the State to make sure the food bank can quickly received State Emergency Food Program boxes, and coordinate any other necessary response efforts
Elevate and amplify communications
Harness and direct donations — whether it be dollars or truckloads
Work with our CalFresh Outreach partners to implement Disaster CalFresh, this means
Ensuring outreach partners know program details, updates, and timelines
Translating materials to meet the language needs of the community
Raising awareness of applications windows and eligibility
Work with our network of food banks to offer mutual aid to the impacted food bank, from extra hands to extra food.
