For many in our community, getting enough food on the table can be a challenge. Fortunately, there is help for the many working families, children, and seniors who can't quite make ends meet. Thanks to federal food programs like CalFresh, the School Meal program, and WIC, thousands in our community receive a little help to ensure that they receive enough food each month. This October, Food for All Mendocino, a coalition aiming to reduce hunger, is working with community partners to recognize and celebrate the federal food programs that support our local community.
CalFresh is the California name for the Food Stamp Program, also known federally as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or SNAP. For more information about CalFresh, visit the California Food Policy Advocates CalFresh website. Learn more about activities this month related to the CalFresh program.
Kids who are hungry have a hard time learning. Free and reduced school meals is a federally subsidized program that makes it possible for every kid to have access to a hot breakfast and lunch. Learn more about school meal activities happening in October.
Questions? Contact Megan Van Sant, MPH, Program Administrator Mendocino County HHSA, Community Outreach Unit at 707-467-5963 or via email.
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CalFresh
Could you feed yourself three nutritious meals a day with only $5?
That’s the average CalFresh benefit amount in California. Thousands of our neighbors in Mendocino County subsist on such a budget for themselves and their families through their CalFresh benefits. Whether due to a minimum wage job, job loss, health issue or simply bad luck, thousands of local families are income eligible for CalFresh. This program provides households with the financial resources to purchase groceries—literally putting food on tables for millions of American children, adults and seniors; giving them the fuel to better their lives and create stronger, healthier communities.
Many families survive entirely on the food acquired through their CalFresh benefits. That budget, on average, equates to only $35 per week for food. What if that’s all you had to spend on groceries?
We challenge YOU to try living on such a food budget for five days. Find out about the CalFresh Challenge, read what other participants are saying, and then share your experience.
The CalFresh Challenge gives participants a glimpse into some of the struggles faced by millions of low-income Americans who are trying to put food on their tables. The challenge provides an opportunity for participants to experience how difficult it is for families living on CalFresh to simultaneously avoid hunger, afford nutritious foods, and stay healthy with limited resources.
This challenge is open to all individuals and involves living on what would be the weekly CalFresh allotment in California for five days, so you can get a sense of what it would be like to subsist on CalFresh. This means spending only $5 per day, per person, on everything that you eat, including breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, seasonings and drinks.
- Each person should spend up to $5 for food and beverages during the Challenge period, which is the average benefit for a CalFresh beneficiary in California. All food purchased and eaten during the Challenge week, including dining out, must be included in the total spending.
- During the Challenge, only eat food that you purchase for the project. If you eat food that you already have at home or that is given to you by friends, family or work, account for it in your CalFresh budget.
- Keep track of food spending and take notes of your experiences throughout the week.
Share your experience - CalFresh Challenge participants are encouraged to keep a daily journal and share their experiences—during and after the challenge—with their friends, family and others.
Once you register, you will receive a CalFresh Challenge booklet in the mail for you to record your food log, as well as your thoughts and ideas.
Use Facebook to share daily updates, photos and an end-of-the-week recap with your friends. Post on Healthy Mendocino’s Facebook page to continue the conversation with our “fans” as well as for possible sharing with their followers.
Post photos on Instagram and Pinterest, sharing your purchased food and meals. Use the hashtag #CalFreshChallenge.
Use your voice—talk about your experience with others. Did you come away with greater awareness and understanding for the hunger challenges that affect so many in our community? Have discussions with family, friends, co-workers, neighbors and others in social circle. Share your experience with members of your church, civic organizations and other clubs.
Encourage others to take the CalFresh Challenge. When sharing your experience, ask others if they would be interested in participating. Share this web page, too.
USDA Photo by Lance Cheung
Are you curious about school meals? Wondering how a Food Service Director is able to serve hundreds of children with nutritious meals, every school day without fail? Do you want to know more about what and how your local students are eating at their schools?
Local Food Service Directors invite you to School Lunch on Tuesday, October 6, 2015 in Fort Bragg, Wednesday, October 7, 2015 in Willits and Thursday, October 8, 2015. Enjoy a school meal with other interested community leaders and a tour of the school kitchen. Ask questions, learn more, get a glimpse into the life of a “Lunch Lady”!
Please note that you MUST register for this event. Seating at the School Lunch events are limited, and for security reasons, you cannot show up on campus without registering first. Please also note that you will be asked to pay for your meal (typically less than $3.50), since federal school meal funds cannot be used for visiting adults.
We hope you can join us in Fort Bragg, Willits or Ukiah for a School Meal!
Seating is limited for School Lunch Day. You will receive confirmation upon registration. Note that you will be required to pay for your lunch (typically less than $3.50).
Register Now Curious abut the CalFresh Challenge experience? Read about one woman's Challenge Journey in 2014
"Feeding two people 15 consecutive meals for a paltry $50 is a daunting task – especially when one of those people is a 6’3” firefighter. But those are the rules of the annual CalFresh Challenge: feed yourself three meals a day, five days in a row, for just $5 per person. . ."
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"“No smoke!” I exclaimed as I saw Carson reaching for the fancy, smoky seasoning we like to put on eggs. “It’s not in the budget.” Startled, he put it back on the shelf and sat down to eat breakfast. The CalFresh Challenge had officially begun . . ."
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"Carson and I don’t have what you would call high-paying jobs: He’s a seasonal firefighter and beekeeper, and I work for a non-profit organization. However, the Federal Poverty Level for a family of two in 2014-2015 is $15,730. (Because any two people making $16,000 a year are clearly doing just fine.) Comparatively, we’re a couple of aristocrats. . ."
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"“You were able to budget for coffee?” I asked incredulously on Wednesday morning as a co-challenge co-worker walked into a meeting with a cup of joe. “This is free work coffee!” he exclaimed. Of course. Why hadn’t I thought of that?"
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"My grandma lived through the depression and, like many people from her generation, she loves a bargain and is loath to throw anything out. After reading my first journal, she sent me this message: “The chicken, bread, and milk seem very expensive. Do you not have a super market?” When I explained that I was trying to eat locally and support my neighbors, she wrote back . . ."
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"Did you know that Friday was Food Day? Events took place all over the country. I love that food has become a national topic, and not in the “how can we grow food with more chemicals for less money” kind of way (I’m sure that conversation is still happening, but the outrage is building)."
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Mendocino County has persistently high rates of hunger and it is hard to imagine what life might be like without supplemental food programs like food stamps. The video "Making America Stronger" helps tells the story of how federal emergency food programs came to change the face of hunger in the United States. Most of the time when people talk about hunger now, they talk about rates of food insecurity. This is just a fancy way of saying that people just don’t know where your next meal is coming from. Looking at data both through the indicator gauges on Healthy Mendocino and through GIS data maps also help us to understand what hunger looks like in our community. Fortunately, there are many resources available in Mendocino County to understand hunger and take action to ensure adequate, quality food is available for everyone.
Feeding America Map the Meal Gap
Learn more about the cost of food in Mendocino County with Feeding America's interactive
Healthy Mendocino Indicators
Here are just some of the many resources available both on Healthy Mendocino and in the community to take a bite out of hunger.
- Healthy Mendocino Nutrition Center
- North Coast Opportunities Garden Project
- EatFresh
- MyPlate.Gov
- 2-1-1 Mendocino Food Resources
Questions? Contact Megan Van Sant, MPH, Program Administrator Mendocino County HHSA, Community Outreach Unit at 707-463-7733, or via email.