What is the Food Stamp Program?
The Food Stamp Program is a nutrition assistance program in which eligible low-income households can purchase food at participating grocery stores with the use of Electronic Benefit Transfer cards that look like a credit card or bank debit card. At the Federal level, the program is administered by the United States Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service. In California, the Food Stamp Program is supervised at the state level by the California Department of Social Services and is administered at the local level by each County Welfare Department.

How many Food Stamps can you receive?
Your food stamp allotment depends on the size of your household. The maximum allotment for one person is $152 per month. The maximum allotment for a four-person family is $506. In California, the average amount of benefits per person is approximately $86 per month, and the average amount of benefits per household is $200.

How much money can you have and still get Food Stamps?
Households may have no more than $2,000 in assets (bank account, cash, etc.); households with at least one person age 60 or older can have $3,000 in assets. Your house (that you live in) and personal belongings do not count. Your vehicles do not count. A household's gross monthly income cannot exceed 130 percent of the Federal poverty guidelines. For a household of three, this is $1,744. A household’s net monthly income cannot exceed 100 percent of the Federal poverty guidelines. For a household of three, this is $1,341.

What can you purchase with Food Stamps?
Food stamps can be used to buy any food or food product that is produced for human consumption. The exception to this is hot foods or lunch counter items prepared or heated in the store. Alcoholic beverages and tobacco, vitamins or medicines, and pet food are also excluded.

Seeds and plants for use in home gardens to produce food can also be purchased with food stamps. Food stamps cannot be used to buy non-food items like soap, toilet paper or shampoo.

Can single people living alone receive Food Stamps?
Yes. Being married and/or having children is not a requirement.

Can you receive aid from other programs and Still receive Food Stamps?
Yes. In California, 60 percent of the food stamp households also receive cash aid from other public assistance programs. There is a restriction that a household cannot participate simultaneously in the Food Stamp Program and the Emergency Food Assistance Program. Also, in California, Supplemental Security Income/State Supplementary Payment (SSI/SSP) Program recipients do not qualify for food stamps.

Can a homeless person receive Food Stamps?
Yes. A person must reside in the county in which an application is filed. Residence in a permanent dwelling or a fixed mailing address is not required.

Where can you apply for Food Stamps?
In Contra Costa County you can apply at the Employment & Human Services Department offices located at:

	4545 Delta Fair Boulevard, Antioch (925) 706-4980
	151 Linus Pauling Drive, Hercules (510) 262-7709
	30 Muir Road, Martinez (925) 313-7987
	1275A Hall Avenue, Richmond (510) 231-8114
	1305 Macdonald Avenue, Richmond (510) 412-3280