New SNAP rules push more San Diegans to find no-cost groceries
As eligibility tightens, free food networks become a lifeline across the county.
Written by Lauren J. Mapp, Edited by Kate Morrissey
With rising grocery costs and federal changes to CalFresh and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits restricting access to food assistance based on work and immigration status, many are scrambling to find affordable food.
New eligibility rules that took effect Wednesday mean some noncitizens no longer qualify for CalFresh, including asylees, refugees and people on humanitarian parole, the county reported.
And starting June 1, expanded work requirements are causing more people to lose benefits, including adults aged 55 to 64, caregivers of children aged 14 and older, veterans, young adults transitioning out of foster care and unhoused community members. Under the new rules, people must document they have worked 80 hours per month to qualify for SNAP benefits.
The San Diego Food Bank estimates that as many as 13,000 San Diegans can lose their access to CalFresh benefits.
This isn’t the first time food benefits have been impacted under the second Trump administration.
In November, SNAP recipients didn’t receive funds on the first of the month due to the longest government shutdown in United States history. Days later, California restored SNAP benefits after a federal court ordered the Trump administration to immediately release previously appropriated funds.
During the shutdown last fall, the San Diego Food Bank, Kind Hearts San Diego, the Partnership for the Advancement of New Americans and Karen Organization of San Diego opened a new food distribution location at the Global Marketplace on University Avenue.
April Moo, operations manager for Karen Organization, said that at the time, many of the community members her organization supports experienced difficulty securing fresh food because, on average, about 75% of their income goes to rent.
While it started as an emergency food resource during the shutdown, the Global Marketplace distribution has continued ever since, as has the need to find no-cost groceries.
“Having food just brightens up their days,” Moo said. “I also see the continuation of them coming back to get food, and a lot of them have expressed how grateful they are because the free food is here in this space where they can walk to, and it's easier to access.”
To make resources easier to access, our new countywide map shows where to find food pantries, mutual aid meetups, free meals and other no-cost groceries in San Diego County. While some are available with no age or income limitations, others require guests to meet Emergency Food Assistance or Senior Food Program guidelines.
Know of a food distribution site, community pantry or no-cost meal location that we missed or need to update? Send an email to lauren@daylightsandiego.org so we can add it to the list.
