Federal Nutrition Program Outreach

No one in America should have to go to bed hungry or skip meals because there is not enough food in their cupboard. But they do.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food & Nutrition Service (FNS) provides children and low-income individuals and families with access to food, a healthful diet and nutrition education.

FNS programs include:
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (now CalFresh in CA, formerly Food Stamps)
Women, Infants and Children (WIC)
School Meals
Summer Food Service Program (Summer Lunch)
Child and Adult Care Food Program
Food Assistance for Disaster Relief

The SDHC supports these programs locally by leading the anti-hunger community in CalFresh outreach and case management, and promoting school meals and summer lunch programs.

Unfortunately, these programs are significantly underutilized in San Diego County. According to California Food Policy Advocates, about 2/3 of children who are eligible for free- and reduced-price school meals during the school year do not participate in a Summer Lunch program. And, according to the Food Research and Action Center, San Diego County has one of the lowest CalFresh participation rates in the country. The good news - SDHC and its CalFresh outreach partners have increased the participation rate among eligible people from 29% to 35%.

CHECK IT OUT! FNS has just released How To Get Food Help: A Consumer Guide to FNS Programs! How To Get Food Help is a low literacy, clear language brochure targeted at consumers who may be new to navigating social services and assistance applications. The brochure clearly explains all FNS programs that consumers apply to directly, and it gives them basic information to identify which programs might be right for them.