Food insecurity

Medi-Cal and other programs are testing food prescriptions that advocates say could improve chronic conditions, lower health care costs and reduce hunger.

California is full of food, yet scarred by hunger.

A legislative proposal that died in subcommittee would have helped 62,000 undocumented immigrants, including many farmworkers.

As extra pandemic benefits end, food banks say that they’re becoming long-term supermarkets for Californians facing food insecurity. Several bills to boost CalFresh are before the Legislature, but the state budget deficit may get in the way.

With thousands of homeless and food insecure students, state legislators funded new programs to offer support to community colleges. CalMatters asked each college how it’s going.

CalFresh issued its last round of pandemic-era extra payments in March. The state has launched a new program aimed at making fresh fruit and vegetables more accessible and affordable to those receiving assistance.

Many Republicans object to the spending, saying the food bank is too involved in partisan issues

Most college students don’t qualify for CalFresh, California’s food stamps program, despite high rates of food insecurity. A pandemic-era rule that made it easier to get aid ends soon.

Dozens of advocates brought their personal tales of hunger to a state Senate committee hearing this week in hopes of persuading lawmakers to support proposals to give food aid to low-income residents who are excluded from federal benefits.

For nearly three years, an increase in federal aid has allowed California to issue higher-than-usual amounts in food stamps. That ends in April.

In 2021, two Oregon nonprofits involved in food aid launched a campaign to extend food assistance to people excluded from federal food benefits.

The need for food assistance is at a near-record high in Oregon, and food bank managers are sounding the alarms about rising hunger across the state.