SUPPLEMENTAL NUTRITION ONE IN SIX CHILDREN RECEIVE CALFRESH.

This indicator reports the number and percent of recipients of the CalFresh Program, federally known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and the number and percent of recipients in the Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC).1 As an indicator of poverty, an increase in children receiving these benefits is one that needs improvement. However, an increase may also be viewed as an improvement because more eligible children are receiving these benefits.

Data shows that there is a relationship between a family’s food security and assurance of a healthy life. Households with food insecurity are more likely to experience reduced diet quality, anxiety about their food supply, increased use of emergency food sources or other coping behaviors and hunger. CalFresh and WIC programs provide nutrition assistance to people in low-income households by increasing their food buying power so they are able to purchase more nutritious foods, such as fruits, vegetables and other healthy foods. Income eligible children can receive both forms of nutrition assistance.

• In 2017/18, 16.5% (119,573) of children under 18 years old received CalFresh, a 77% increase in the percent of children since 2008/09 at 9.3%. Orange County had a lower rate than California at 20.7% (1,913,457) of children receiving CalFresh.2

• In January 2019, the greatest proportion of CalFresh beneficiaries under 18 in Orange County were children aged six to 12 years old (43.8% or 43,907), followed by zero to five years old (30.4% or 30,544) and 13 to 17 years old (25.8% or 25,873).

• It is estimated that only 59.2% of people in Orange County who are eligible for CalFresh are receiving that benefit, less than California at 72.2%.3

• WIC enrollment is steadily declining. In 2017/18, 57,874 participants were served by the WIC program, a decrease of 44.7% from 104,622 in 2008/09. Of these, more than three fourths (45,582) of participants were young children zero to five years old.

• In 2015, 52.7% of women and children eligible for WIC were receiving that benefit nationally, lower than California at 65%.4