Nearly 30,000 San Luis Obispo County residents receive CalFresh benefits, according to the SLO Food Bank. The CEO says they’re now preparing to provide food assistance to even more people.
"We know that this can be a really scary and overwhelming time," said Molly Kern, SLO Food Bank CEO. "If you're someone who's used to getting your benefits on time and spending them at local grocery stores and farmers markets, knowing that that might not be there when you need it, can be really disorienting."
A CalFresh spokesperson at Cal Poly says more than a quarter of the student population at the university will be impacted. That includes students already enrolled in the program and others applying to it.
"Our busiest season is Fall Quarter, so we're in the midst of it right now. We typically submit close to about a thousand applications per month," said Liv Watts, Cal Poly's CalFresh Outreach Coordinator.
Kern says that approximately $6 million from the federal government is typically dispersed among CalFresh recipients across the county.
"We would love to see you using food bank resources. Going to one of these pantries or distributions doesn't take food away from anyone else, and by making sure that you and your family are getting the food that you need, you're helping our whole community stay healthy," she said.
If you are in need of food assistance, Kern says to call (805) 238-4664.
You can also visit https://slofoodbank.org/en/food-locator/
If you are not in need of assistance and able to make a donation, you can visit: https://donate.slofoodbank.org/give/737748/#!/donation/checkout
