Food Assistance
Many people in San Mateo County suffer from food insecurity. That means they cannot get all the food they need to be healthy. The good news is that San Mateo County has many great resources to help people get nutritious food for free or at reduced cost.
What is CalFresh?
CalFresh (Food Stamps) provides monthly food benefits for individuals and families with low income.
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• Generally, recipients must have gross income below 200% Federal Poverty Level (FPL) and net income below 100% FPL.
• Income limits and benefit levels are based on household size
How are CalFresh benefits issued?
Where can CalFresh benefits be used?
What items can be purchased with CalFresh?
What items cannot be purchased?
Who can benefit from CalFresh?
What are the application processing timeframes?
I'm in another program, can i get CalFresh?
Ready to Apply?
Fill in & submit your application
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Give yourself 30 - 60 minutes to apply.
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Fill out as much as you can as that can speed up your application process.
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Be ready to share about the money you earn and the things you pay for/own.
Upload documents
You do not have to upload documents to apply.
We’ll let you know what you need to provide.
You can come back to this website to upload them later.
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Proof of identity (Driver’s License, State ID card, Student ID)
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Proof of income (like recent pay stubs, or unemployment benefits)
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Proof of expenses (like medical costs, or child care)
Application Review
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Schedule interview
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When you're done and you submit, your county will set up an interview.
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For food (CalFresh), you can choose between an in-person or phone interview.
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Plan for about an hour.
