The 2022-23 state budget includes funding for Food4All to remove exclusions to the California Food Assistance Program (CFAP)/CalFresh for Californians 55 and older, regardless of immigration status. This means that California will soon be the first state in the nation to provide food assistance benefits to undocumented adults.

While this is a major win for the Food4All campaign as well as older adult immigrants who will be able to receive critical food assistance through access to CalFresh benefits, it is not enough. There are many more California immigrants younger than 55, including 2 in 3 undocumented children, who will continue to face rising food insecurity and inequitable access to our nutrition safety net without a full investment in Food4All.

The Legislature and Governor deserve significant thanks for taking this first major step toward an equitable nutrition safety-net. They also need to hear from you that immigrants of ALL ages, regardless of immigration status, need access to critical food assistance.

Please take a few minutes to thank the budget leaders who made this historic investment, and ask them to continue prioritizing Food4All funding next year.