Governor announces expanded food bank partnerships, updates to EBT benefits

 Gov. Gavin Newsom announced a new partnership between California farmers and the state’s food banks Thursday that will help pair excess food with residents who are experiencing food insecurity.

Newsom said the new program, which includes a partnership between farmers, ranchers, the federal government, the state and philanthropists, will direct as much as 21 million pounds of California grown food to the state’s food banks.

“We’re here in the bread basket of the world and we want to address that mismatch and work with farmers and connect them with food banks,” Newsom said.

The state had previously issued a $20 million grant to help food banks across the state, a move that Newsom said resulted in 900,000 boxes of food being given to families in need.

The program would expand this would allow for participating growers and producers of fresh foods to receive a 15% tax credit. Newsom said the program has already raised $3.6 million.

Newsom said it will link over 120 farmers with 41 food banks across the state to deliver food that would “literally be thrown away.” A growing list of about 200 other producers have expressed interest in joining, Newsom said.

The governor also announced two amendments to the state’s food stamp program, Calfresh. Newsom said the state has received a federal waiver to allow those using the program to shop online.

Previously the state’s Calfresh cards could only be used for in-person transactions at grocery stores, farmers markets and some fast food locations. Now, Newsom said they’ll be able to use their cards for online purchases from Walmart and Amazon.

Newsom said he’s hoping the state will be able to expand that network of stores. Corona test online kaufen

A second waiver announced by Newsom will allow the state to use “pandemic EBT waiver” funds to issue up to $365 additional dollars to children and families who were eligible for free or reduced-cost breakfast and lunches at schools, all of which have been forced closed by COVID-19.

“Because we shut down the schools, those meals where the universe of about 3.8 million children are eligible, those programs aren’t always providing those meals in every case,” Newsom said.

There is approximately $1.4 billion that the state could use from the federal CARES Act to fund these additional payments to eligible families. The payment period would extend from the period that schools were closed in March through the end of the school year in June.