Governor Gavin Newsom announced Wednesday new initiatives to help Californians combat food insecurity during the coronavirus pandemic through CalFresh by adding an average of $169 per household, officials said Thursday.

The governor highlighted critical expansions of CalFresh and EBT programs to combat food insecurity for low-income Californians, including a new Pandemic-EBT program for children who receive free or reduced lunch and EBT for online purchasing.

“Putting food on the table during this pandemic is hard for families on the brink,” Newsom said. “It’s in that spirit that we’re expanding our Farm to Family program while also working to connect low-income families with vital resources and financial support. We thank our farmers for stepping up to donate fresh produce to our food banks. And we want families struggling to access food to know we have your backs.”

Newsom announced Thursday that CalFresh recipients are set to receive the maximum benefits for the month of May.

The continued expansion of benefits was secured through a USDA waiver that allows all households to receive the maximum allowable benefit amounts, and is a continuation of the same level of benefit received in March and April, according to officials.

On April 12, just over 1.3 million households received a total of nearly $223 million in additional CalFresh benefits with an average increase of $169 per household.

Families with children eligible for free or reduced-price meals are eligible to receive additional support due to the Pandemic Emergency Benefits Transfer Program (P-EBT).

The California Department of Social Services has identified roughly 3.8 million children who could qualify, and each eligible child could receive up to a total of $365 in P-EBT benefits. P-EBT eligible children that receive CalFresh, Medi-Cal or Foster Care benefits do not need to apply for P-EBT benefits and are expected to receive a P-EBT card in the mail in early May.

Other families receiving free or reduced lunches but not in CalFresh are expected to need to complete a short online application, which is set to open in late May, according to officials.

The state estimates that it could issue up to $1.4 billion to these kids for school closures extending from March 16, 2020 through June 12, 2020.

Finally, the governor announced the launch of the EBT for online purchasing. California expedited implementation of this program in response to COVID-19, according to officials.

Participants can now use their EBT card to make purchases online at Amazon.com and Walmart.com com, and California officials are urging supermarkets to also join.

Purchases can be completed online with CalFresh food benefits and P-EBT benefits.

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