Food Bank-championed advocacy has opened CalFresh to nearly 350,000 students at every public college and university in California, unlocking over $400 million in new annual CalFresh benefits.
SAN FRANCISCO — October 8, 2026 — The San Francisco-Marin Food Bank today marked one of the biggest CalFresh wins in its history: as of June 1, 2026, nearly 350,000 college students at every public community college, California State University, and University of California campus are newly eligible for CalFresh, the result of advocacy the Food Bank championed. The change unlocks over $400 million in new annual CalFresh benefits for students across the state.
Previously, students faced extra hurdles to qualify for CalFresh that no one else did, including a requirement to work at least 20 hours a week. Under the change, associate and bachelor’s degree programs at California’s public colleges and universities are now treated as job-readiness programs, meaning eligible students can qualify just by being enrolled. Students still have to meet the regular income and immigration rules. The expansion builds on the Food Bank’s advocacy success of AB 518, which we championed and co-sponsored. Signed by Gov. Newsom in September 2024, AB 518 requires the state to identify people eligible but unenrolled in CalFresh and find ways to enroll them.
“No student should have to be hungry to earn a degree — and the students most impacted are communities of color,” said Executive Director Tanis Crosby, San Francisco-Marin Food Bank. “That’s a policy choice, and thanks to the Governor and the Breakthrough Project, it’s changing. Thousands of California students can now access CalFresh, so they can focus on their degree instead of their next meal.”
The expansion comes as households continue to face the impact of recent cuts to SNAP (CalFresh in California). H.R. 1 slashes $186 billion from SNAP over the next decade. More than 121,000 residents in San Francisco and Marin rely on CalFresh, and about 19,000 of them are at risk of losing benefits, including 17,000 in San Francisco and 1,800 in Marin. That loss is estimated at $43 million in benefits and $64 million in local economic activity. Statewide, 560,000 Californians are at risk.
To close the gap between eligibility and enrollment, the Food Bank is launching its CalFresh Ambassador Program, which will train community members, including students, to serve as trusted enrollment guides — meeting students where they are, walking them through the process with language competencies and pulling from their own lived experiences. The Food Bank’s CalFresh Outreach team plans to partner with City College of San Francisco, College of Marin, and San Francisco State University to recruit, train and support student leaders.
About the San Francisco-Marin Food Bank
The San Francisco-Marin Food Bank’s mission is to end hunger in San Francisco and Marin counties. Together with a network of 265 community partners, we provide fresh, nutritious groceries to 46,000 households weekly, as well as CalFresh outreach, home-delivered groceries, and advocacy efforts to change systems and policies that perpetuate hunger. For more information visit San Francisco-Marin Food Bank website.
Media Contacts:
Jean Paul Zapata
San Francisco-Marin Food Bank
Jzapata@sfmfoodbank.org
(415) 797-2892
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