CalFresh useless on campus

Student volunteers help eligible students fill out CalFresh paperwork so they can enroll in the program. Photo credit: Molly Sullivan

Student volunteers at the Center for Healthy Communities enrolled eligible students in CalFresh, formerly known as food stamps, Oct. 12 in an event to raise awareness about food insecurity.

“We’re trying to reduce the stigma around it,” said Program Director at the Center for Healthy Communities Jenny Breed. “For our campus, we’ve really reduced the stigma of it. They’ve already enrolled 53 students by 11:30 a.m., so they’re enrolling about 25 an hour.”

However, university dining services and campus cafes do not currently accept CalFresh EBT payment cards.

“Our dining services program is definitely working toward that,” Breed said.

Molly Sullivan can be reached at [email protected] or @SullivanMollyM on Twitter.