CALIFORNIA RESTAURANT MEALS PROGRAM FOR EBT HOLDERS (FOOD STAMPS) NOW CALLED CALFRESH

OUR MOST POPULAR POST - UPDATED DECEMBER 2014

If you are HOMELESS, DISABLED, or ELDERLY, and already financially qualifying for EBT (FOOD STAMPS) SNAP which means you do not get Social Security, you may also be eligible for RESTAURANT MEALS. The Restaurant Meals Program (sometimes called the Hot Meal Program) allows you to have some of your meals on the FOOD portion of your card -  that means not from your CASH BENEFIT. 

(Since we've walked into some restaurants with EBT signage and learned they expected to take the money out of a CASH benefit we want to emphasize this!)

And OK LET'S PAUSE RIGHT HERE.  If you are on Social Security OR if you're on EBT (FOOD STAMPS) SNAP you can STILL GO TO FOOD BANKS and FEEDS so check out our sidebar which has a good National Food Bank directory or search the innards of this blog for food banks and feeds in Los Angeles and some other parts of Southern California. 

This special benefit from the State of California is for people who are unable to physically make their own meals, be it because they have housing but no refrigerator or stove like in an SRO or motel room, be it because they are homeless on the street or living in an RV without hook ups, or because their disability makes it difficult to deal with cooking.  We know of someone in a Section 8 apartment who has no stove or fridge and is getting this benefit.

Although it's difficult to budget frequent restaurant meals when you have about $5 - $6 a day for all three of your meals and most of the restaurants that take EBT FOOD for payment are fast food, it can make a big difference to you if you can buy a hot coffee on a cold day, if you can actually be inside a restaurant in the warmth and socialize a little bit.  We also know of people at shelters who managed to "save up" enough SNAP over many months to go out to a restaurant for a birthday in a small group.

LINK HERE TO CALIFORNIA EBT CLIENT WEBSITE (Check your status, purchases, etc.) 

LINK HERE FOR OFFICIAL INFORMATION ON DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL SERVICES - RESTAURANT MEALS PROGRAM

LINK INCLUDES A LIST OF EBT FARMERS MARKETS. We find the prices are usually out of our range, but sometimes you can find better quality eggs for not too much more than a regular grocer, and it may be worth it to spend maybe $10 a month on fresher or organic fruits and veggies.  Please go to PAGES where you will also see a page called TAKE CONTROL OF YOUR DIET, where we will remind you to drink enough plain WATER every day as part of your health plan.

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LINK HERE for a list of LA County Restaurants taking EBT for hot meals
LADPSS SOCIAL SERVICES - RESTAURANTS TAKING EBT

If you are an independent restaurant owner reading this, you can set up EBT with the state of California, but again, we're talking the FOOD portion not a CASH BENEFIT portion to be charged for the food.  We want to eat healthy, freshly cooked breakfast, lunch, and dinner, for a reasonable price.

ORANGE COUNTY CALIFORNIA LINKS are at the PAGE!  (See the top of our blog!)

If you are from any other place in the Nation of the United States of America, check to see if you are eligible through your state and county by going to their Social Services sites.

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HERE IS  NEW OPPORTUNITY TO DOUBLE YOUR MONEY when shopping for produce at participating FARMERS MARKETS.  It's called MARKET MATCH and WIC and EBT/CalFresh users can get $20 work of produce for $10.

Search for a market here  http://ecologycenter.org/fmfinder/

Please contact us through Comments if you know of any independent restaurants who take SNAP - we mean the FOOD PORTION not the CASH PORTION that do not yet appear on the lists!