At Berkeley, there are an estimated 1,000 graduate students and 9,000 undergraduates who meet the criteria for CalFresh, and who may not be able to afford enough nutritious food to make it through the day. In an effort to make healthy food more accessible to students in need, Bear Market at 2400 Durant Avenue, around the corner from Café 3, now accepts CalFresh electronic benefit transfer (EBT) debit cards at the cash register. Anyone who receives funds from CalFresh, or the federally named Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), may pay with their Golden State Advantage EBT debit card. At Bear Market, customers use their EBT card just like any other debit card. Going forward, Cal Dining hopes to make it possible for CalFresh EBT cards to be used at more on-campus retail and dining locations. Until then, there are also some farmer’s markets and restaurants within walking distance of campus that accept CalFresh EBT cards. If you, or any students you know, have food security concerns, please visit the UC Berkeley Basic Needs Security website to learn about applying for CalFresh and other resources available to support graduate and undergraduate students. Related articles “Food Resources” from GradNews “New CalFresh ‘super clinics’ to help hungry students,” from Berkeley News (Sept 2017)
At Berkeley, there are an estimated 1,000 graduate students and 9,000 undergraduates who meet the criteria for CalFresh, and who may not be able to afford enough nutritious food to make it through the day. In an effort to make healthy food more accessible to students in need, Bear Market at 2400 Durant Avenue, around the corner from Café 3, now accepts CalFresh electronic benefit transfer (EBT) debit cards at the cash register. Anyone who receives funds from CalFresh, or the federally named Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), may pay with their Golden State Advantage EBT debit card. At Bear Market, customers use their EBT card just like any other debit card. Going forward, Cal Dining hopes to make it possible for CalFresh EBT cards to be used at more on-campus retail and dining locations. Until then, there are also some farmer’s markets and restaurants within walking distance of campus that accept CalFresh EBT cards. If you, or any students you know, have food security concerns, please visit the UC Berkeley Basic Needs Security website to learn about applying for CalFresh and other resources available to support graduate and undergraduate students. Related articles “Food Resources” from GradNews “New CalFresh ‘super clinics’ to help hungry students,” from Berkeley News (Sept 2017)