CalFresh Healthy Living: Shopping

Making it easier for you to buy healthy foods

Overview

CalFresh Healthy Living implements Policy, Systems, and Environmental (PSE) changes at neighborhood and farmers markets and food pantries to increase access to healthy foods and beverages. The goal of CalFresh Healthy Living is to make the healthy choice, the easy choice for all San Diego communities.

Activities and Strategies

Increase the number of small and medium-sized retailers that participate in the Live Well Community Market Program.
Increase the number of food pantries to adopt and implement the Nutrition Pantry Program.
Increase access to incentive programs such as CalFresh Food/EBT, Market Match, Women, Infants and Children (WIC) vouchers or eWic, and Senior Farmers’ Market Program vouchers.

Program Successes

Check out how the Live Well Community Market Program helped increase healthy food access in small markets around you!

University of California San Diego (UCSD) Urban Food Equity Fighting for Food Justice: San Diego Community Heroes

CalFresh Healthy Living partnered with UCSD's Center for Community Health to highlight and uplift the stories of Black, Indigenous, People of Color, and women fighting for food justice in San Diego County. Learn more here.

Community Supported Agriculture in Action

CalFresh Healthy Living collaborated with UCSD's Center for Community Health to implement the Nutrition Pantry Program, a community-based program created by Leah's Pantry. The Nutrition Pantry Program helped connect the Encanto Elementary pantry with Second Chance Youth Garden and provide 20 families with free local Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) shares for a 10-week season. Identified families were selected because they had experienced loss of income as a result of COVID-19. Learn more here.

San Diego Small Neighborhood Markets Transform Produce Sections

In 2022, CalFresh Healthy Living and the Live Well Community Market Program provided support to five small neighborhood markets in San Diego County and assisted market owners in transforming their produce sections to promote healthier options. Learn more here.