March 30, 2023 - SAN FRANCISCO - Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) has approved the California Department of Social Services request to issue automatic mass replacements of SNAP benefits for affected households that suffered food losses as a result of power outages and flooding due to severe winter storms that began February 23, 2023, through February 28, 2023.

The waiver request applies to 120 zip codes in the following 28 counties: Amador, Butte, Calaveras, El Dorado, Fresno, Humboldt, Lake, Madera, Mariposa, Mendocino, Monterey, Napa, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Shasta, Sierra, Siskiyou, Sutter, Tehama, Trinity, Tulare, Tuolumne, and Yuba.

Specifically, FNS authorizes the mass replacement of 50 percent of regular benefits for households that were issued February 1, 2023, through February 10, 2023, in the 120 zip codes. FNS is also authorizing the mass replacements of 50 percent of emergency allotment benefits for households that were issued February 4, 2023, and February 11, 2023, in the 120 zip codes.

Rather than require SNAP households to report food losses individually, USDA allowed the state of California to approve automatic mass replacements for residents in specific zip codes in 28 counties who lost food as a result of the power outages and flooding. More details will be made available through the California Department of Social Services.

Individuals seeking more information about this and other available aid should dial 2-1-1. For more information about California SNAP, visit https://www.cdss.ca.gov/food-nutrition/calfresh.

USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service works to end hunger and improve food and nutrition security through a suite of more than 15 nutrition assistance programs, such as the school breakfast and lunch programs, WIC and SNAP. Together, these programs serve 1 in 4 Americans over the course of a year, promoting consistent and equitable access to healthy, safe, and affordable food essential to optimal health and wellbeing. FNS also provides science-based nutrition recommendations through the co-development of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. FNS’s report, “Leveraging the White House Conference to Promote and Elevate Nutrition Security: The Role of the USDA Food and Nutrition Service,” highlights ways the agency will support the Biden-Harris Administration’s National Strategy, released in conjunction with the historic White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health in September 2022. To learn more about FNS, visit https://www.fns.usda.gov/and follow @USDANutrition.  
Source: USDA