Chico State’s CalFresh team began their biannual outreach week on Monday. The outreach week happens once every semester. However, the team offers students assistance all year long.
CalFresh is a nutrition program providing households with resources to access food at any store accepting Electronic Benefit Transfer or EBT cards.
The university’s program solely focuses on assisting students. However, they also have an assistance program that helps other members of the Chico community. The program is a part of the Center for Healthy Communities, an organization under the university.
During outreach week, the team helps students through the application and renewal process as well as assists students with any general questions they may have about the program.
“There’s a lot of students that are eligible and just don’t know it,” the project director, Amy Gonzales, said. “The application process — it can be tricky for students. That’s really why we’re here — to help coach and guide students.”
One of the ways students can be eligible for CalFresh is through their majors, minors or internships. The state maintains a list of eligible majors and programs but the university’s CalFresh team said they are constantly advocating for more to be added to the list.
Academic programs that are eligible include Local Programs that Increase Employability, or LPIE. Eligible majors, minors, internships and programs have what program assistant, Melys Bonifacio-Jerez, calls “on the ground work.”
“These students are learning through their major and through their classes how they can use that major for career success,” Bonifacio-Jerez said.
Students may go on the California Department of Social Services website to see the list of academic programs eligible for CalFresh.
Another way students may be eligible for CalFresh is if they have a job on campus or if they qualify for work-study. Students receiving temporary assistance for families in need or TANF Cal Grant may also qualify.
Everyone applying to the nutrition program must also meet an income requirement. A household of one must have an income lower than $2510 every month and must be a U.S. citizen or have lawful permanent residency, Gonzales said.
International, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals and Dreamer students are not currently eligible for CalFresh.
“We hate that as part of this program but we always like to remind people anyone can use the pantry,” Gonzales said.
The Hungry Wildcat Food Pantry is in the Student Services building and distributes food and resources to Chico State students and staff.
Once a student receives their CalFresh benefits, there is a semi-annual renewal process. The CalFresh team assists with this as well as initial applications.
Chico State CalFresh has an office in the Cross-Cultural Leadership Center in the Meriam Library room 172. They also just opened up an office in El Centro: Latinx Resource Center just across the hall.
The program does “pop-up application assistance” throughout the year. They’ve held these pop-up events in the Meriam Library, the REACH Student Success Center, the MESA engineering program, The Gender and Sexuality Coalition and the Black Resource Center.
The team has so far been able to connect with more than 45 students during outreach week.
“I would say it’s been very productive,” Bonifacio-Jerez said. ‘‘It’s been so rewarding and it’s been really cool to see students come back. They trust us, they feel safe with us.”
Beatrice Williams can be reached at [email protected].
