Napa County Steps In To Help Fill CalFresh Funding Hole: What To Know

NAPA VALLEY, CA — As the federal freeze on benefits drags out, Napa County officials are freeing up money to help cushion the impact on residents who receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits, or SNAP.

Napa County Supervisors approved $1 million in emergency funding and marshaled additional help from local nonprofits and foundations to help offset the freeze on SNAP, called CalFresh in California.

The money will used for grocery and meal gift cards available to the more than 10,000 residents of the county who will not receive CalFresh benefits.

More than half — 6,000 — are children and older adults, county officials said.

Recipients can use whatever balance is on their CalFresh EBT cards, but they cannot add value to them.

Payments stopped Nov. 1, due to the continued Federal Shutdown and the withholding of $5 billion in Federal reserves for SNAP (food assistance).

The Trump Administration cut off benefits before a federal judge last week ordered the payments to resume. But that still leaves thousands without a safety net to pay for other essentials like rent and gas.

Leveraging funding

Napa organizations are also stepping in to help leverage the $1 million from Napa County.

The Napa Farmers Market will continue the Market Match program, which doubles the value of CalFresh dollars spent at the Tuesday and Saturday farmers market to buy fruits and vegetables. Vendors are still accepting vouchers from both programs, and existing CalFresh EBT cards remain valid. The market will give up to $50 in Market Match vouchers to families with a zero CalFresh balance.

The Napa County Food Access Coalition also launched an online guide for Napa County residents in need of food. The website lists resources, like food pantries and grocery distributions, by geographic location, date, time, and eligibility requirements. Information is available in English and Spanish.

Community Action of Napa Valley expanded food pantry hours and added a new location in Napa to reach more households.

The Napa Valley Community Foundation recently launched the Food Access Fund to ensure that Napa County residents have reliable access to nutritious food and is asking for donations.
Donors can also use the Napa Valley CanDo Give! Guide to help families in the community.

The program serves about 5.5 million Californians under CalFresh and is a major part of the nation’s social safety net. Official statements from the USDA that benefits would be delayed in November sent states, food banks, and SNAP recipients scrambling to figure out how to secure food. Some states said they would spend their own funds to keep the program running.

In California, Gov. Gavin Newsom deployed the National Guard to assist at food banks. The governor and California Attorney General Bonta also announced the lawsuit against the Trump administration.

The $1 million that Napa County will draw on to cushion the CalFresh freeze will come from the Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement with the four largest tobacco companies in the U.S. that settled dozens of state lawsuits in 1998, brought to recover billions of dollars in health care costs associated with treating smoking-related illnesses.

Napa County residents who need immediate assistance should call 707-253-4511.

Kat Schuster contributed to this report.