Riverside County residents who lost food during recent winter storms and used their CalFresh benefits to purchase that food have until March 4 to report their losses and request replacement benefits, said county officials today.
The State recently approved extending the normal reporting period for food loss from 10 to 30 days. The additional time allows impacted CalFresh households to assess their losses and recover as much as possible.
State officials estimate that 279,875 CalFresh households were affected statewide with a cost of about $54.5 million in benefits, some of which may have been used to purchase food subsequently destroyed due to the winter storms that began on Feb. 3 and spread across California causing flash floods, heavy snowfall, and wind gusts of over 100 miles per hour. The flooding and winds prompted evacuations and resulted in closed roads, destroyed infrastructure, and damaged homes and vehicles.
Over 40,000 CalFresh households were potentially impacted in Riverside County, according to officials, who believe these residents were mostly in areas near Corona, Desert Hot Springs, Jurupa Valley, and Moreno Valley.
“We’re here to help our CalFresh customers recover their losses as quickly as possible,” said Allison Gonzalez, assistant director of the Department of Public Social Services (DPSS), who oversees the Self-Sufficiency Division. “We encourage our residents impacted by the recent severe weather event to reach out to us in person, by phone, or online to request their CalFresh replacement benefits before March 4.”
To report the loss of food purchased with CalFresh benefits during the recent winter storms, Riverside County residents can call 1-877-410-8827, visit their nearest DPSS office, or go online at BenefitsCal.com. When completing their form, CalFresh customers should include their contact information, a short description of how the food was lost, and the time and date when the loss occurred.
CalFresh is the state’s largest food program that issues monthly electronic benefits that can be used to buy groceries at many stores, farmers markets, and online through certain retailers such as Amazon, Ralph’s, and Walmart.