- Nicholas Chan
- Communications Director, Office of Assemblymember Alex Lee
- (916) 319-2392
- nicholas.chan@asm.ca.gov
Assemblymember Alex Lee is seeking to revive and expand a successful CalFresh program. Through dollar-for-dollar rebates, the CalFresh Fruit and Vegetable Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) Pilot Project made healthy food more affordable for low-income families. At a time of urgent need, Assemblymember Lee is requesting $63 million in funding to double the program’s reach. Given the success of the CalFresh Fruit and Vegetable EBT Pilot, he also introduced AB 936 to take a step toward making this program permanent.
“There's nothing more essential in people’s lives than fresh, nutritious food. But millions of Californians are struggling to afford healthy meals,” said Assemblymember Lee, Chair of the Assembly Human Services Committee. “The CalFresh Fruit and Vegetable EBT Pilot Project has been highly effective in helping families stretch their food dollars, and I will keep fighting to scale this program up and down the state.”
The CalFresh Fruit and Vegetable EBT Pilot provided up to $60 each month in nutrition incentives. For every $1 of CalFresh benefits spent on any fresh fruits and vegetables at a participating retailer, CalFresh recipients got $1 back on their EBT card to spend on any CalFresh-eligible food for up to $60/month. The program’s pilot phase ran from February 2023 to April 2024. Assemblymember Lee secured an additional $10 million in funding to restart the program for a limited time during the holiday season last year until the end of January 2025.
“What we’ve seen in the last year is that this program is both effective and incredibly efficient,” said Eli Zigas, Executive Director at Fullwell, a non-profit policy organization. “Assemblymember Lee led our efforts last year to secure $10 million for the program. The additional funding helped tens of thousands of families, but it wasn’t enough to meet the ongoing need. We are hopeful that the Legislature and Governor will provide the funding necessary to make this a year-round program and expand it further by adopting Assemblymember Lee’s newest budget and policy proposals.”
Within just roughly three months, the program served over 88,500 households and provided $7.3 million in rebates. Over 90 grocery stores and a farmer's market participated in the program. The additional $63 million in funding would expand the CalFresh Fruit and Vegetable EBT Pilot to more retail locations and serve an estimated 111,000 households monthly — up from 55,000 in March 2024 — over a one-year period.
Jay Marquez is an educator and recent college graduate who participated in the CalFresh pilot.
“I worked two jobs just to get through college and I still couldn't exactly make ends meet,” said Jay. “This program helped me afford healthier meals and be able to meal prep with fresh fruits and vegetables. Bringing the program back is going to be impactful for a lot of people. I really want to see this program come back.”
The impact of the CalFresh Fruit and Vegetable EBT Pilot extends far beyond California. Colorado, Rhode Island and Washington State have started their own programs modeled after the CalFresh pilot. Extra food benefits are critical when roughly one in five families statewide experienced food insecurity in September 2024. Across the nation, about one in seven households across the U.S. were food insecure during 2023 — a number that would be far higher if it wasn’t for government nutrition programs.
“Nourish California deeply appreciates the leadership of Assemblymember Alex Lee in ensuring that Californians have access to the food that they need and want,” said Betzabel Estudillo, Chief Engagement Officer at Nourish California. “Community members have been loud and clear that the CalFresh Fruit and Vegetable EBT program is vital to keeping their families fed and healthy. Additional CalFresh benefits give families greater flexibility in their food choices, which is essential for combating food insecurity. California has a unique opportunity to be a national leader in addressing food insecurity by extending and expanding this critical program.”