CalFresh Awareness Month

For the month of May, Petaluma Bounty, Farmers’ Market LIFE, Sonoma County Human Services and Health Services as well as an amazing list of community partners (below) are launching an awareness raising campaign called CalFresh Awareness Month. The goal of our collective efforts is to expand awareness of CalFresh in our community- who is eligible, why it is worth considering, where it is accepted, what you participants get with your benefits, and how we all can contribute to a healthier local food system. We also want to dispel myths that keep people from considering applying.

Our request to you is that you-- our local community-- help spread the word through social media, email, newsletters, and flyers. CalFresh helps low-income families, individuals, and seniors expand their food budgets and with your help we can create a mutually beneficial loop where CalFresh customers support their local economies and small scale farmers by taking advantage of Market Match incentives!

Throughout the whole month, there will be community and family-friendly activities across the county including health and wellness events at our farmers’ markets, a social media photo contest with the hashtag #freshestcalfreshsoco, and other events around the county. Also, Farmers’ Market L.I.F.E. is increasing the daily dollar maximum of incentive match to $20 at participating farmers’ markets for CalFresh users for the month of May.

Our amazing partners include: Center for Well-Being, Sonoma County Human Services, Market Match Consortium, Berkeley Ecology Center, Sonoma County Health Services, Petaluma Health Center, Redwood Community Health Coalition, Redwood Empire Food Bank, Petaluma Health Care District, Catholic Charities of Santa Rosa, 211, and more!

For a full list of events, flyers in English and Spanish and more ways to engage, please go this this link. For more information about Farmers’ Market LIFE and Petaluma Bounty’s role in administering this collaboration, go to www.farmersmarketlife.org or this Bounty Blog or email fmlife@petalumabounty.org or suzi@petalumabounty.org