Starting the week of Nov. 10, the Contra Costa County Employment & Human Services Department (EHSD) will begin distributing prepaid debit cards to eligible CalFresh households at four county locations:
- 1305 Macdonald Ave., Richmond
- 151 Linus Pauling Dr., Hercules
- 400 Ellinwood Way, Pleasant Hill
- 4545 Delta Fair Blvd., Antioch
The distribution is part of the County’s emergency response to the federal government shutdown, which has interrupted funding for CalFresh, California’s version of the federal SNAP food-assistance program. The Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday declared a local emergency, citing that the funding lapse puts food support at risk for approximately 107,000 residents, including 58,861 children and older adults.
To ensure continuity of food assistance, the Board unanimously approved up to $21 million from the General Fund to purchase the debit cards. EHSD will oversee the purchase and distribution process and report back to the Board within 60 days to determine whether the emergency declaration should remain in effect.
“We recognize the hardship this creates for many in our community,” said Board Chair Candace Andersen, District 2 Supervisor. “The lapse in government funding for SNAP benefits not only impacts vulnerable residents who depend on food assistance but also threatens the stability of local grocers and the capacity of the Contra Costa County Food Collaborative to meet increasing demand.”
Residents in need of food assistance can find local resources through:
- Food Bank of Contra Costa & Solano: Find Food in My City map or call (855) 309-FOOD (3663)
- 211 Contra Costa: Comprehensive database of local health and social services (211contracosta.org)
- California Association of Food Banks: cafoodbanks.org
- Contra Costa Crisis Center: crisis-center.org, call 988 or (800) 273-8255, or text “HOPE” to 20121
- EHSD: Visit ehsd.org for CalFresh updates related to the shutdown.
