Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Calfresh Outreach topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
San Luis Obispo County Board proclaims May 2026 CalFresh Awareness Month, urges outreach to seniors
Summary
The San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors read a proclamation declaring May 2026 CalFresh Awareness Month, heard that CalFresh monthly benefits exceed $6 million for over 30,000 residents, and received calls from staff and the SLO Food Bank to boost senior enrollment amid concerns about administrative impacts from HR1.
The San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors read a proclamation declaring May 2026 as CalFresh Awareness Month and heard presentations urging expanded outreach to underenrolled seniors.
Devon Drake, director of the Department of Social Services, told the board that county staff currently issue more than $6 million in CalFresh benefits each month to over 30,000 individuals. "My staff work hard to provide accurate and timely benefits to eligible county residents," Drake said, and he credited the county's CalFresh Alliance and partner organizations for an 88% increase in participation since January 2020.
During public comment, Molly Kern of the SLO Food Bank said local seniors remain significantly underenrolled. Kern cited a Center on Aging figure that "only about 12% of eligible seniors are receiving these benefits," and urged the county and community groups to focus outreach on nontechnical channels, hard-copy materials and one-on-one assistance.
Board members echoed calls for expanded outreach and volunteer support. Bruce Gibson praised the decade-long work to increase participation but warned that "HR1 is going to have impacts" that could make eligibility and administration more difficult. Supervisor Ortiz Lake urged neighbors to tell seniors about potential eligibility and highlighted an upcoming food-collection drive, saying the community should "join together" to help residents in need.
Supervisors and partners emphasized coordination between the Department of Social Services, the CalFresh Alliance and community organizations such as the SLO Food Bank and local campus outreach teams. Board members suggested distributing paper information at the county's senior centers and continuing volunteer recruitment to help older residents enroll.
The board read the proclamation text supporting CalFresh enrollment but the meeting transcript does not record a formal roll-call vote on the proclamation. No additional formal actions or ordinance changes were recorded on this item. The discussion closed with the board encouraging continued outreach and partnership to increase CalFresh enrollment among seniors and other underenrolled groups.
