ACCFB’s CalFresh Outreach Team
May is CalFresh Awareness Month.
This May, we’ll be sharing more about the importance of CalFresh, including stories from the community about how CalFresh Works to help ensure that all of us in Alameda County have the food we need to be nourished and thriving.
Applying for CalFresh is easier than you think. Alameda County Social Services Agency and the Food Bank are here to help answer your questions and guide you through the application process. Find out if you and your family qualify for CalFresh. Apply today! Call: 1-877-847-3663 Visit: FoodNow.net.
Help us spread awareness about how CalFresh is a vital resource by sharing this information with your community, and using this toolkit.
Despite severe cuts to SNAP (CalFresh in CA), our CalFresh Outreach team was able to secure 3.4 million meals worth of benefits for 2,580 households last year. Our Outreach Associates shared two stories out of thousands to showcase some of the many reasons community members reach out to ACCFB for support with CalFresh, and how these essential make a real difference in their lives.
Abril Barragan, ACCFB Outreach Associate, shares about her experience with a community member who reached out this spring:
This client reached out to our organization seeking assistance with applying for CalFresh. He shared that he had never applied before, as he had always been able to meet his needs and preferred to leave programs like this for those who needed them most. However, recent circumstances led him to seek support.
On April 10, 2026, this client’s apartment caught on fire, leaving him, his wife and three children displaced. Since then, he has been staying in a motel in Alameda, paying out of pocket each night, which has quickly become a financial strain.
He works for Uber and also shared that he was not so good with technology, making it difficult for him to complete the application process on his own, such as uploading documents. I invited him to come into the office so I could assist him in person.
During his visit, this client reflected on how he had previously dropped people off at the Alameda County Community Food Bank through his work, without knowing the services we offered. Now, he found himself coming in for support, a full-circle moment.
I assisted this client with completing his CalFresh application and referred him to pick up free groceries. Due to his current stay in a motel without access to a kitchen, we focused on food options that would be practical for his situation.
This story highlights how quickly circumstances can change and the importance of accessible support during difficult times.
I am currently on going trying to continue find resources to help this client find housing. I’ve sent him information and hoping that he is able to at least find temporary housing for himself and his family.
Maiya Edgerly, Outreach Associate with ACCFB shares about a client that reached out earlier this year:
About two months ago, what began as a routine follow-up call quickly became an eye-opening reminder of the daily realities faced by members of the unhoused community here in Oakland. The client I connected with is 77 years old and has been living in a local motel for more than two years. She suffered a stroke over four years ago and is still in recovery, with significantly limited mobility. She depends on her son—who is also facing financial hardship—for basic daily needs.
During her initial CalFresh eligibility screening, she shared that she was not only unhoused and disabled, but also without consistent access to water and had little to no food in her motel room. Hearing this was deeply concerning. It is difficult to comprehend the vulnerability of being elderly, managing serious health challenges, and lacking access to the most basic necessities.
I took immediate steps to connect her with food resources and ensured close follow-up as we worked through her CalFresh application. The process was not straightforward—there were periods when her phone was disconnected, and she missed scheduled interviews. During those times, I coordinated with her son to maintain communication and continue moving her case forward.
Despite weeks of submitting client concern forms and follow-up efforts, we were unable to connect with the county. I then took the additional step of contacting her county CalFresh worker directly. Through persistent advocacy, I was able to facilitate a three-way call that allowed her to complete her interview. During that call, her caseworker approved her application and arranged for a new EBT card to be mailed to her. She was ultimately approved for $298 per month in CalFresh benefits. Knowing she would now have the means to purchase food and even something as essential as water was incredibly meaningful.
While this support does not resolve all of the challenges she faces—such as securing stable housing and ongoing medical care—it provides a critical foundation. This experience reinforced for me that CalFresh is more than a federal nutrition program—it is a lifeline for some of Alameda County’s most vulnerable residents.
