A California Program to Get Produce to Low-Income Families Is a Hit. Now It Is Running Out of Money.
“The CalFresh Fruit and Vegetable EBT Pilot Program is a state program that rewards healthy market choices with a dollar for dollar and penny to penny instant rebate for CalFresh participants, including individuals who earn a gross annual income of less than $18,954 and qualify for food assistance. According to new numbers from California’s Department of Social Services, more than 43,000 households benefit from the program. The San Francisco Bay Area Planning and Urban Research Association, or SPUR, just recently estimated that 74,000 people in 44 of California’s 58 counties benefit, even though the pilot program is available in fewer than 100 grocery stores and farmers’ markets statewide.”