By Adrian Florido
In the aftermath of last week’s 12-hour power outage, restaurant owners across San Diego County lamented the tens of thousands of dollars they lost from spoiled food. But many said they would rebound, despite the setback.
That may not be so easy in the kitchens of more than 200,000 of the county’s poorest residents who rely on county food stamps to stock their refrigerators.
Social service and food pantry workers don’t know the magnitude of those losses, but say the timing was bad because the blackout came early in the month — just a week after poor families’ benefits cards were loaded with their monthly credit.
Shelly Hahne, who runs the Hand Up Youth Food Pantry for Jewish Family Services, a local social services agency, said families typically load up at the beginning of the month. She’s telling her clients who receive food aid to report losses from the power outage to San Diego County and have the value of the spoiled food replaced. Many people don’t know they have that option, she said.
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CalFresh Offers Reimbursement for Food Spoiled in Blackout
CalFresh recipients have 10 days to file a claim for reimbursement of food spoiled during the blackout. San Diego County and the San Diego Hunger Coalition are working to notify local food stamp offices and families of the benefit.