An unprecedented number of San Diegans applied for CalFresh benefits this year after January’s historic flooding damaged or outright destroyed hundreds of homes in the county, leaving families displaced and scrambling.
Applications for the disaster program closed on March 22 after being extended a week so that everyone affected by the flooding had a chance to apply, the agency said in a release.
The benefits were also extended a week. All CalFresh recipients and new Disaster CalFresh recipients can use their cards to purchase hot and prepared food until April 10.
At the same time, traditional CalFresh enrollment numbers are also at a record high. As of March 1, 2024 more than 389,400 were enrolled in CalFresh, which is the highest in San Diego County’s history and is a 4.4% increase over last year’s numbers..
The County of San Diego says that illustrates a growing need for benefits across the board, highlighting the issue of food insecurity.
Electronic benefit transfer cards issued by CalFresh usually can only be used to purchase shelf-stable foods. However, in this case, a temporary change was approved by Food and Nutrition Service for San Diego County, which is part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
The agency allows the modification under conditions such as power outages, damage to homes, the displacement of residents, and other conditions that prevent households from purchasing and preparing food.
FNS has notified all authorized San Diego County EBT retailers of the waiver and is encouraging stores to post notices alerting customers of the change.
More information about the program, including how to apply, can be found here.
