Starting this month, many low-income seniors and people with disabilities receiving federal benefits are now also eligible for the CalFresh program. Nevada County’s Director of Social Services, Tex Ritter, says it’s because of a new state law that’s now in effect to help people struggling more and more to pay their bills…

CalFresh helps stretch dollars for nutritious foods, especially fruits and vegetables. The electronic benefit card can be used at participating grocery stores and farmers markets. Ritter says there are currently just under five-thousand county recipients. But the expansion will allow another 24-hundred residents, including 11-hundred families, to be eligible. Ritter says it’s also a boost for the local economy…

Meanwhile, Ritter says many current CalFresh recipients will also receive another 15-dollars a month in benefits, starting in July.