Santa Barbara County received 1,129 CalFresh food benefit applications from residents claiming that they were impacted by the January storms, County Public Information Officer Kelsey Buttitta told the Sun.
The California Department of Social Services opened up eligibility for individuals and families affected by the January storms to receive disaster CalFresh food benefits as part of recovery efforts, Buttitta said. Individuals qualified if they lived or worked in Santa Barbara County, spent money because of the storms or related power outages, lost income due to limited or fewer work days, or spent money on household repairs. Individuals also needed to reach certain income thresholds—ranging from $1,950 per month for one-person households to $4,768 for eight-person households, according to a California Department of Social Services breakdown.
“A family of four with a monthly income up to $3,130 per month may be eligible to receive up to $939 in food benefits through this program,” a county news announcement stated. “Those who already receive regular CalFresh food benefits will not be eligible for Disaster CalFresh.”
Applications were open from Feb. 5 to 15—with the county receiving 80 percent of its applications in the last two days after a social media push. Residents should hear if they qualify by Feb. 24.
Although applications for CalFresh disaster relief closed on Feb. 15, Buttitta encouraged residents to apply for regular CalFresh benefits to see if they’d be eligible for any extra assistance, or visit local nonprofits like the Foodbank of Santa Barbara County.
Foodbank Chief Strategy Officer Nathalie Keller told the Sun that the nonprofit worked alongside the Office of Emergency Management call center, helping people 24 hours a day to meet their food needs.
“Collectively, we spent 2,000 hours in the call center, fielding about 1,100 calls, and we saw a tremendous increase in demand. We had already been seeing an increase with inflation and economic strains,” Keller said.
In the last two months, the Foodbank’s seen about 122 new unduplicated clients, a 30 percent increase from the same period last year, she said. In light of the storms, the nonprofit also delivered 3,000 pounds of food to 12 families in Guadalupe, 900 pounds were transported to the Figueroa Mountain station for residents stranded on Catway Road, and it worked with the Red Cross to distribute food at shelters that were opened during the storms.
“Grappling with repairing their homes and cars and missed work shifts, we anticipate a greater need in the coming weeks,” Keller said.
Countywide, the Foodbank distributes about 1 million pounds of food a month. The pandemic increased the demand as more people lost their jobs or worked limited hours. Although distribution rates are lower than in the peak pandemic years, they’re still higher than pre-pandemic levels.
“Any time workers miss work, we see an increase in demand. People who work in the fields or work outside and can’t work, they can’t get paid. The Foodbank is prepared to meet that increase in demand,” she said.
Specialized staff members are also dedicated to help people fill out CalFresh applications on-site. Keller added that the Foodbank’s working on expanding its CalFresh outreach efforts and ensuring that people are aware of the assistance available.
“It’s important because it gives people the opportunity to shop at places like the farmers’ market or places [where] they accept CalFresh benefits,” she said.
Visit cdss.ca.gov/calfresh to apply for CalFresh benefits, or visit foodbanksbc.org to learn more about the Foodbank’s programs and services.
This article appears in Feb 23 – Mar 2, 2023.
