Food Stamps Help Our Contra Costa Community

The Food Stamp Program helps people with little or no income purchase healthy foods, such as fruits and vegetables. The average Food Stamp benefit is at least $100 a month; that's an additional $1200 a year to buy food.

Recent changes in the law have made qualifying and applying for Food Stamps even easier. Some things to be aware of:

The Food Stamp Application is now shorter and easier to fill out.
Food Stamps are issued on a plastic debit card called the Golden State Advantage Card.
It's possible to own a home or a car and still qualify for food stamps.
The Food Stamp Program does not share information with the INS (now known as the U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services).

Who may qualify for Food Stamps?

Single, married, people with children
Children born in the U.S.
Legal non-citizens - even if not, other family household members born in the U.S. might be eligible.

The current maximum allotment levels for the continental United States, in effect from Oct. 1, 2007 through Sept. 30, 2008 are:

People in Household	Gross Monthly Income Limits	Net Monthly Income Limits
1	$1,107	$851
2	$1,484	$1,141
3	$1,861	$1,431
4	$2,238	$1,721
5	$2,615	$2,011
6	$2,992	$2,301
7	$3,369	$2,591
8	$3,746	$2,881
Each additional person	+$377	+$290

Gross income means a household's total, nonexcluded income, before any deductions have been made. Net income means gross income minus allowable deductions.

For Food Stamp information, contact:

Richmond: 510-231-8114 or 510-374-3925
Hercules: 510-262-7709
Martinez: 925-313-7987
Antioch: 925-706-4990

More information about Food Stamps (Food and Nutrition Service)

Funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, an equal opportunity provider and employer, through the California Nutrition Network.

Content provided by the Nutrition, Physical Activity and Food Security Project under The Community Wellness & Prevention Program of Contra Costa Health Services.