The CalFresh Fruit and Vegetable EBT program is a great success, and is even more important now during times of federal threats to our safety nets that worsen hunger and food insecurity for Californians throughout our state.

This program provides nearly 55,000 CalFresh households up to $60/month in rebates when they buy fresh fruits and vegetables with their CalFresh benefits. In total, the program provides $2.5 million in food assistance across the state each month. In the past, these benefits have been so popular that the funding for it ran out multiple times.

Thanks to your advocacy, last year we were able to secure $36 million to restart the program. Now, we need the legislature and governor to include at least $100M in the state budget to keep the program going for twelve months and help more California families.

This program is cost-effective, efficient, and critical. At a time of tight budgets – for both the state and millions of Californians – it’s an investment that is absolutely worth continuing.