In Brief: Kaiser Awards $1.3 Million To Ease Food Access

Kaiser Permanente’s Northern California division has awarded $1.3 million to 15 community organizations to ensure better access to food programs among low-income populations.

            The recipients, which include food banks, community clinics and youth centers, received grants ranging from $75,000 to $98,000.

            Kaiser officials said the grants are intended to address the 2.5 million Californians who may be eligible for CalFresh food program but haven’t applied, as well as other vulnerable populations. The grants may be used in part to assist individuals in applying for food-related benefits.

            “What we heard most often is that the application process is a barrier, as is the stigma associated with needing public assistance in the first place,” said Yvette Radford, Kaiser’s vice president of external and community affairs in Northern California. “Increasingly, immigrant communities fear that applying for the benefit could affect their immigration status.”