• Buy more healthy foods. Buy more fruits and vegetables year round for their family. Eat at least 5 servings of fruits and vegetables every day.
• Stay healthy by eating nutritious foods.
• Stretch their food budget to buy food for the whole family.
• MyPlate: English | Spanish

• Apply Online: BenefitsCal.org, GetCalFresh.org or
• You may request an application in person, by phone, by fax, by mail, or at the California Department of Social Services - CalFresh Program website. Your application starts the day the county receives your signed application. You will receive an appointment by mail for an interview by phone or you may ask to complete your interview in person, or
• Apply in person at your local Human Services office, especially if you need CalFresh benefits right away, or call the CalFresh Application Line at (661) 631-6062. Leave your name and address and the application form will be mailed to you with a return envelope. Mail the completed at P.O. Box 511, Bakersfield, CA. 93302, signed application forms in the envelope. Your application starts the day the county receives your signed application. You will receive an appointment by mail for an interview by phone or you may ask to complete your interview in person, (English | Spanish) or
• You can fax the completed, signed application form to (661) 631-6573. Your application starts the day the county receives your signed application form.
• Or by calling the Customer Assistance TeleCenter at 1 (877) 410-8812
  
  County Office Hours:
  Monday through Friday, 7:30 am - 4:00 pm
  
  Call Center Hours:
  Monday through Friday, 8:00 am - 4:00 pm 

• Name
• Address (if not homeless)
• Signature

You may be eligible to receive Expedited Service CalFresh benefits within three days. These benefits may be requested through a worker. Help in completing any forms may be provided during the application process.

The following households, if otherwise eligible, are eligible to CalFresh Expedited Services:

1.  Households with less than $150 in actual monthly gross income and their liquid resources (i.e., cash on hand, checking and savings account, savings certificates and lump sum payments) do not exceed $100;
2.  Households whose combined actual monthly gross income and liquid resources are less than the household’s actual monthly rent or mortgage plus the amount of utilities.
3.  Migrant or seasonal farm worker households who are destitute provided their liquid resources (i.e., cash on hand, checking or savings account, savings certificates and lump sum payments) do not exceed $100.

Listed below are examples of potential types of verifications/proof that may be needed to process your Application:

• Proof of identity (driver's license, etc.), alien status.
• Social Security Numbers for all household members.
• If employed, proof of income (wage stubs, earning statements, etc.) for the past 30 days.
• Medical expenses for income deduction purposes (voluntary not mandatory).

This information is not required prior to your interview. If needed, our Department may be able to assist in obtaining verification/proof.

Pandemic EBT (P-EBT) Extensions

Young children are eligible for P-EBT 4.0 if from August 2022 through May 2023 they were:
• Under 6 years old as of August 1, 2022; and
• Part of a household getting CalFresh Food benefits.

Eligibility Continued

Children who disenrolled from an NSLP or SBP participating school after January 27, 2020 and before June 2020 due to concerns about COVID-19 and attended homeschool or virtual study for the 2022-23 school year may be eligible and can apply for P-EBT 4.0.

The eligibility documentation requirements for this population is as follows:

1. Students were age 6 and were homeschooled or enrolled in a private virtual school during the SY 2022-23.
2. Students must have left enrollment from a school participating in the National School Lunch or School Breakfast Programs after January 27, 2020, due to concerns about COVID-19.
3. Student households must be determined eligible for free or reduced-price meals. Eligibility can be determined by the submission of household size and income information through the application process at the link below. In addition, households may be automatically eligible without an application by providing a CalFresh, CalWORKs, or Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservation case number or by demonstrating the students would have attended a public school that currently operates a federal provision (Community Eligibility Provision or Provision 2 or 3).
4. Student proof of identity through the submission (copy) of one of the following documents:

1. Birth certificate
2. Immigration or naturalization documents
3. Hospital birth record
4. Passport
5. School (or work, if applicable) identification
6. Health benefits card
7. Tax forms with dependent information

Applications are available:

• Between July 21, 2023 through August 15, 2023
• The online portal will close on August 15, 2023
• Late applications will not be accepted
• Applicants will be notified directly whether their child qualified for benefits

Once your application is complete, the P-EBT helpline will contact households about application status through text message or phone call from the phone number 916-848-6998. Please note, this phone number is an unmonitored line and only allows one-way communication from the helpline to applicants. Households that need assistance with the application or other questions about P-EBT should contact the P-EBT helpline at 877-328-9677.

Applications accepted at getpebt.org

For additional information, visit the P-EBT website at http://ca.p-ebt.org/.

English | Spanish

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)

As the cornerstone of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) nutrition assistance programs, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) program plays a vital role in helping to improve nutrition in the nation, particularly among low-income individuals. The goal of SNAP-Education (Ed) (Healthy Choices) is to improve the likelihood that persons eligible for SNAP (or CalFresh) will make healthy food choices within a limited budget and choose physically active lifestyles consistent with the current Dietary Guidelines for Americans and MyPlate. The Kern County Department of Human Services partners with other organizations in order to provide nutrition and physical activity education services to CalFresh participants and those potentially eligible. The project focuses on areas within Kern County with a high number of CalFresh participants (130% of Federal Poverty Level (FPL) and also populations at or below 185% FPL) as well as areas that are entirely devoid of CalFresh nutrition education services.

Eat Right When Money's Tight
English | Spanish

Loving Your Family, Feeding Their Future
Habit 1 - Vary Your Veggies
Habit 2 - Focus on Fruits
Habit 3 - Get Your Calcium-Rich Foods
Habit 4 - Make Half Your Grains Whole
Habit 5 - Go Lean with Protein
Habit 6 - Watch Your Fats, Sugar, and Salt
Habit 7 - Balance What you Eat with Physical Activity

Choose MyPlate is your access point to USDA's guidance on food and nutrition.

What's on your plate?
¿Qué hay en su plato?