Food Benefits Available To RivCo Residents Affected By Fires

LAKE ELSINORE, CA — CalFresh recipients impacted by the recent fires in Riverside County may be eligible to request replacements for food loss.

The deadline to submit a request will be in effect through Sep. 23, according to the CalFresh website.

The state of California increased the waiver to report food loss from the standard 10-day period to 30 days for households who have bought food with either their Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits or with SUN bucks. CalFresh customers can request replacement benefits either in person at their nearest office in Riverside County, or by calling 877-410-8827, or at BenefitsCal.com

Households impacted by the fires and who were not previously enrolled in CalFresh can enroll in the Disaster CalFresh program, which provides immediate temporary food assistance for victims of natural disasters such as earthquakes, floods and fires. Benefits include up to a month's worth of food, or about $281 per person per residence.

The Tenaja Fire began shortly before noon on Aug. 25 on the Tenaja Truck trail near Lake Elsinore. The brush fire burned a total of 130 acres, and was fully contained on Sep. 10, according to Cal Fire.

As a result of the fire, Ortega Highway was closed in both directions, evacuation orders took place in several zones and power outages affected numerous households.

The Airport Fire, burning in Orange and Riverside counties, was nearly 20% contained at more than 23,500 of burned acres as of Sunday afternoon.

Feeding America is available for assistance in searching for food banks in Riverside County, and is located at 2950-B Jefferson St. in Riverside. Find Food Bank is located at 83775 Citrus Ave. in Indio.

—City News Service