LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The California Department of Social Services has announced that CalFresh nutrition assistance benefits for the month of March will be issued on clients’ EBT cards on a single day, March 1.

The single-day issuance will help mitigate the effects of February’s early issuance, due to the federal government’s 35-day shutdown.

These benefits are normally issued across the first 10 days of each month.

“Benefits for February were issued before January 20, 2019, due to the federal government’s shutdown. By providing CalFresh to every participant on March 1st, we are reducing the maximum number of days between food assistance issuance from 54 days to 44 days,” said Pat Leary, acting director.

All other CalFresh program operations continue as usual.

CalFresh is the nation’s largest nutrition assistance program, known nationally as SNAP. It provides nearly 3.8 million individuals – one in 10 Californians, including nearly two million children – with food benefits each month.

These federally funded benefits total approximately $515 million monthly for purchases at grocery stores and farmers’ markets in California.

Individuals or families can apply for CalFresh benefits and CalWORKs cash aid at their local social service agency, or online at www.benefitscal.com.

CalFresh recipients with questions regarding their case should contact their local county.

A listing of all 58 county contacts is available on the CDSS Web site at www.cdss.ca.gov/County-Offices.