Helping a Family Access Cal-Fresh Benefits

As a program manager with Catholic Charities Diocese of Monterey’s (CCDMO) CalFresh Outreach (CFO) program, I help families across Monterey, San Luis Obispo, Santa Cruz, and San Benito counties access vital food assistance.

Recently, a new family reached out to me for help applying for CalFresh after welcoming their newborn. However, they faced a major barrier: they had not yet received their child’s Social Security Number (SSN) or birth certificate—both of which are required to complete the application.

When they first contacted me, I explained which documents were needed and encouraged them to gather their newborn’s SSN and birth certificate. A week later, I followed up to check on their progress. Fortunately, they had just received the documents the day before my call. I immediately helped them complete the CalFresh application, carefully walking them through each step to ease their concerns.

During the process, the parents expressed fear that applying for CalFresh might affect their immigration status—a common concern among the families I work with. I reassured them that receiving CalFresh benefits for their U.S. citizen child would not negatively impact their immigration status. Building that trust was essential to completing the application smoothly.

Despite their initial confusion and fear, we successfully submitted the application. The family expressed deep appreciation for the support and clarity I provided, which filled me with pride and joy in my work.

A few weeks later, I followed up and was thrilled to learn that the family had been approved for CalFresh benefits. They’re now receiving the food assistance they urgently needed. I’ll continue to stay in touch with them to support their annual renewals and connect them to additional services as needed.

Helping this family navigate the application process not only secured their immediate food needs—it also helped build trust and confidence in a community that too often feels overlooked.