Free food in Southern California for SNAP recipients: Here's the list
'Share Ourselves' food pantry helping Costa Mesa community
The shutdown has sparked a busy time for food banks in California and nationwide as uncertainty looms.
LOS ANGELES - Nearly 5.5 million California residents lost their CalFresh/SNAP benefits on Nov. 1 due to the ongoing government shutdown.
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, helps about 1 in 8 Americans buy groceries.
Here's what you need to know.
Is CalFresh the same as SNAP?
What we know:
In California, CalFresh is the name for SNAP.
CalFresh is California's state-specific name for SNAP, the federal food assistance program that provides aid to low-income households.
SUGGESTED: California police boost patrols at grocery stores as millions set to lose SNAP benefits
This isn't the first time the Golden State uses names different from federal names. In California, the Medicaid program is known as Medi-Cal, and the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families program operates as CalWORKS.
What is CalFresh?
Local perspective:
The CalFresh program helps low-income households meet their household's nutritional needs.
Benefits are issued through Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT), and can be used in grocery stores and participating farmers markets. The amount of benefits you get depends on your family size, income, and monthly expenses.
CalFresh allows homeless, elderly, or disabled persons to purchase prepared meals from participating restaurants using their EBT card.
SUGGESTED: Here's how many people receive SNAP benefits in your state
Additionally, SSI/SSP recipients in California are also eligible for CalFresh benefits.
Over 5.5 million Californians, including 2 million children, rely on the program.
Where can I find additional food resources in my community?
Food banks
To find a food bank near you, call 211 or tap/click on your county below:
Free meal services
In LA County, the Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation offers free snack and dinner programs for youth, teens, and seniors. You can see a full list of locations here.
SUGGESTED: SNAP benefits: Here's how much payments will be in November
Senior meal programs
Tap or click your county below:
LAUSD food services
California is mandated to provide two free meals (breakfast and lunch) for students Monday through Friday.
Additionally, the Los Angeles Unified School District offers weekend meal kits for Saturday and Sunday. To learn more, tap or click here.
Other assistance
DoorDash is offering SNAP recipients free delivery and waived service fees in cooperation with more than 300 food banks, pantries, and community organization partners. You can learn more about Project DASH by tapping or clicking here.
In LA's San Fernando Valley, the Rescue Mission Alliance Food Bank has multiple food pantry locations.
Why did California rename the program?
The backstory:
In September 2008, AB 433 was signed by then-Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger requiring the California Department of Social Services to streamline the name of the Food Stamp Program.
The purpose of the initiative was to establish a positive new identity for the program to encourage eligible Californians to enroll and use the benefits to purchase healthy foods. This effort, which resulted in the name change to CalFresh, was sponsored by a group of Assembly members and a Senator (Jim Beall, Patti Berg, Mervyn Dymally, John Laird, Sally Lieber, and Senator Patricia Wiggins).
SUGGESTED: No SNAP benefits to be issued in November, USDA confirms
The renaming project was supported and partially funded by the California Food Policy Advocates and The California Endowment. Furthermore, the California Department of Social Services coordinated with various stakeholders, including program participants, county human services departments, and advocacy organizations, to develop the new name.
Why are recipients losing benefits?
Why you should care:
Benefits are delayed due to the ongoing government shutdown. The federal government has not provided additional funding for these benefits.
The shutdown began when a short-term measure to fund the government failed to advance in the Senate. The current impasse is now the second-longest on record. The administration took steps leading up to the shutdown to ensure SNAP benefits were paid in October.
SNAP provides nearly $8 billion per month in assistance to about 1 in 8 Americans to help them afford groceries.
Can I still use my EBT card in November?
What we know:
As of now, Californians can use EBT cards with existing benefits as usual during the government shutdown.
New information will be shared if that changes.
How is the state stepping up?
Local perspective:
To help aid the situation, Gov. Gavin Newsom deployed the state's National Guard troops and California Volunteers, which organizes volunteer efforts, to support food banks by helping to prepare food for distribution.
Newsom is also "fast-tracking" about $80 million worth of state support to food banks.
California sues Trump administration
What we know:
Newsom and Attorney General Rob Bonta on Tuesday announced a lawsuit aimed at forcing the Trump administration to continue providing food stamps in November amid the ongoing federal government shutdown.
California and more than 20 states argue that Congress appropriated $6 billion to the United States Department of Agriculture in contingency funds for SNAP through September 2026.
"It is deliberate. It is intentional. They have the funds. They’re just not using them," Bonta told reporters at a press conference. "The vast majority of SNAP recipients are families with kids, elderly individuals and people with disabilities. These are our most vulnerable. Societies should be judged on how we treat the most vulnerable. Trump gets an ‘F’ for what he is doing here to our kids and to our most vulnerable Americans here in California."
The lawsuit asks a judge to declare the SNAP funding suspension illegal and issue a temporary restraining order, which expedites the process and could result in a ruling as early as Tuesday, Bonta said.
When will benefits go out again?
What we don't know:
SNAP/CalFresh benefits will resume when the federal government shutdown ends and there will be no benefit payments until that happens.
The duration of the shutdown is unknown.
SUGGESTED: SNAP benefits ending: Here's where you can get emergency assistance in Southern California
The backstory:
Earlier this week, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) confirmed that SNAP benefits will not be issued in November if the government shutdown continues.
This came after the Trump administration rejected using more than $5 billion in contingency funds to keep the program flowing into November.
SNAP helps about 1 in 8 Americans buy groceries using debit cards normally loaded each month by the federal government. Some states have pledged to keep the benefits flowing even if the federal program halts payments, but a memo from the USDA says states would not be reimbursed for temporarily picking up the cost.
The Source: This report is based on official government announcements regarding the federal shutdown's impact on SNAP/CalFresh benefits, and includes direct quotes from Governor Gavin Newsom and Attorney General Rob Bonta from a press conference detailing the state's lawsuit. Factual details on the program's history and naming conventions are sourced from California state legislation (AB 433 in 2008) and the California Department of Social Services (CDSS), while funding details are attributed to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and state officials.