Important Update

Dear ¡Más Fresco! More Fresh participant,

We want to share important news about CalFresh benefits that may affect your ¡Más Fresco! rebate dollars.

Possible Delay in November CalFresh Benefits
Because of the federal government shutdown, the California Department of Social Services (DCSS) has announced that CalFresh benefits will be delayed for November 2025.

What this means for you:

• You can still use any CalFresh money already on your EBT card from October or earlier.
• Your November benefits will be delayed.
• For the latest updates, visit https://www.cdss.ca.gov/benefits-services/food-nutrition-services/calfresh/calfresh-frequently-asked-questions

What you can do:

• Check your EBT balance often.
• If you need extra food help, contact a local food pantry or community program.
• Find food resources in your county here: County Specific Resources
• Look for more food resources near you on findhelp.org

IMPORTANT: You can still use your ¡Más Fresco! More Fresh rebate dollars, but you may not be able to earn more.

Even if there’s a delay in CalFresh benefits, the rebate dollars you already earned are:

• Still ready to use at any Northgate González Market,
• Kept in a separate account (not with your CalFresh benefits),
• Not affected by the government shutdown.

You can keep using your rebate dollars to buy more fruits and vegetables, even if your CalFresh benefits are delayed.

However, if your EBT card doesn’t have CalFresh funds, you won’t earn new rebate dollars until your CalFresh benefits start again.

Your ¡Más Fresco! More Fresh account will stay active even if your CalFresh is delayed—you do not need to sign up again when CalFresh resumes.

Thank you for being part of the ¡Más Fresco! More Fresh community.

We’ll keep you posted as soon as we have more details on when benefits start and the resources you can access.

With care,
The ¡Más Fresco! More Fresh Team at UC San Diego

 

COUNTY SPECIFIC RESOURCES

San Diego County

• San Diego Hunger Coalition: https://www.sdhunger.org/
• Call 211 for Essential Community Services: https://www.211.org/
• Feeding San Diego: Find food: https://feedingsandiego.org/find-food/
• San Diego Food Bank: https://www.sandiegofoodbank.org/

 

Los Angeles County

• Los Angeles Regional Food Bank Pantry Locator: https://www.lafoodbank.org/find-food/pantry-locator/
• Senior/Older Adults: For meals from LA County and the City of LA, call 1-800-510-2020
• 211 LA County Food Resources: https://211la.org/resources/subcategory/food

 

Orange County

• 2nd Harvest Food Bank Food Distribution Finder: https://feedoc.org/need-food/
• Call 211 Orange County: https://www.211oc.org/search-for-resources.html
  • 211 Orange County Food Resources: https://www.211oc.org/Food
• Regional Center of Orange County Food Resource List: https://www.rcocdd.com/client-services/help-for-other-needs/food-resources-and-pantries-in-orange-county/

 

San Bernardino County

• Community Action Partnership San Bernardino:
  • Food Bank Website: https://www.capsbc.org/food-bank
  • Distribution Calendars: https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/cu/8bH84pQ/distributioncalendars
• Feeding America San Bernardino Riverside: Find a pantry: https://www.feedingamericaie.org/find-a-pantry
• San Bernardino County: Local Food Assistance Sites: https://www.sbcounty.gov/uploads/dph/AMBASSADORS/Food-Assistance-Sites-DPH-Nutrition-and-Wellness.pdf
• FIND Food Bank: https://findfoodbank.org/map/

 

Riverside County

• Feeding America San Bernardino Riverside: Find a pantry: https://www.feedingamericaie.org/find-a-pantry
• Riverside County Food Banks from Reach Out: https://we-reachout.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/19.-Riverside-County-Food-Banks.pdf
• FIND Food Bank: https://findfoodbank.org/map/