San Francisco is mailing activation letters this week to roughly 112,000 people enrolled in CalFresh, offering a one‑time prepaid grocery card to help households buy food while November SNAP benefits are delayed. The letter will include a unique activation code that lets recipients claim a virtual card immediately or request a physical card by mail. The cards are intended to function like EBT for eligible grocery purchases, although they cannot be used for alcohol, tobacco, or sugary beverages. Additionally, they must be activated before the end of the year to remain valid.
How to claim your grocery card
According to the San Francisco Human Services Agency, letters will be mailed in the first week of November to households that were enrolled in CalFresh by the end of October. You do not need to call to request a card. The agency says the letter contains a unique activation code you can use to claim a virtual gift card online or by phone; you can then load the funds into Apple Wallet or Google Pay or request a physical card that arrives in five to seven business days. The program is being run with a private philanthropic partner and a vendor to distribute the cards, the agency notes, and the FAQ page has step‑by‑step activation instructions for recipients.
How much you’ll get
The city set fixed amounts by household size: $200 for a household of 1–2 people, $350 for a household of 3–4 people, and $500 for households of five or more, according to reporting from KQED. That figure is based on average CalFresh benefit amounts for similar household sizes, so that some households may see slightly more or less than their usual EBT payment. As SFHSA executive director Trent Rohrer has noted, the city intends the replacement cards "will work exactly as their CalFresh EBT card would have worked."
Why the city is stepping in
The move follows a federal funding disruption: on Nov. 3, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said it would tap contingency funds to provide at least partial SNAP payments for November but warned that distribution could be delayed by days or weeks while systems are updated, Reuters reported. SFHSA says the one‑time grocery‑card program will move ahead regardless of whether federal SNAP dollars appear immediately, to ensure people can buy food while benefits are paused. Nearby counties have pursued similar steps: Contra Costa County announced plans to distribute one‑time debit cards to about 107,000 CalFresh enrollees, according to local reporting.
Help, fraud prevention, and deadlines
Recipients must activate their card by December 31 to retain the funds. SFHSA states that activation will require personal identifying information, but never a Social Security number or bank account details, according to KQED. If you do not receive a letter or need help activating the card, SFHSA advises calling 3‑1‑1 or contacting the agency through its website for assistance. Local partners, including the San Francisco‑Marin Food Bank, are coordinating additional emergency food support while benefits are delayed.
