Butte County’s lost CalFresh dollars

A new report from California Food Policy Advocates analyzing the federal food-stamp program in California, now called CalFresh, shows that in Butte County money is effectively flowing down the drain. Nearly 30,000 people who are eligible for the program are not participating, with a resulting loss of an estimated $40.5 million and $325 in monthly benefits for the average non-participating family. Statewide, an estimated 3.6 million eligible people don’t participate, a loss of $4.9 billion. California’s rate of participation is the second-lowest in the nation and is attributable, CFPA says, to unnecessary bureaucratic barriers. Here are the figures for Butte and neighboring counties.

Source: California Food Policy Advocates