What does the SNAP deadline really mean? How to find resources and food in Fresno
Food assistance benefits will likely be cut off for 248,000 in Fresno County starting Saturday, but that doesn’t mean their EBT cards will stop working, or that food supplies will be shut down.
Some still might have money left on their cards, which work like prepaid debit cards just for food. Also, unspent funds roll over month-to-month, usually for a maximum of nine months, so it’s possible to build a reserve. Benefits also typically reload during the first 10 days of the month, so for some their latest benefit was paid only about three weeks ago.
So there might be a some wiggle room at the start of this month as some strategize how to feed their families this holiday season. But with the national average monthly benefit at $187.20, many who rely on SNAP will likely start feeling the pain pretty quickly.
Also known as CalFresh in California, SNAP provides assistance for about 42 million low-income Americans who can’t afford groceries. It’s unclear when the congressional stalemate might break and the SNAP program refunded.
Getting food assistance
Food banks are likely to bear the brunt of demand when the food assistance dries up starting Saturday, but some companies and local universities are also providing assistance to those impacted.
“We’re prepared to be able to respond to emergency needs like this for the short term,” said Natalie Caples, co-CEO of Central Valley Food Bank. “We’re resilient, and we’ve done this before, but this is not a situation long-term that the food bank can sustain.”
Here’s a look at food resources for SNAP recipients in the Fresno County area.
SNAP recipients can get $50 off groceries through Gopuff
Gopuff, the grocery delivery service, is offering $50 off groceries for SNAP recipients. The deal will be available in two waves through November, at $25 each, for use on SNAP-eligible items.
To access the Gopuff discount, SNAP recipients should do the following:
- Add your SNAP EBT to a Gopuff account.
- Add SNAP-eligible groceries to your cart.
- From Nov. 1-15 use the code SNAPRELIEF1 at checkout for $25 off and free delivery.
- From Nov. 16-30 use code SNAPRELIEF2 at checkout for $25 off and free delivery.
Central California Food Bank has a network of food banks in Fresno
The Central California Food Bank serves Fresno, Madera, Tulare, Kings and Kern counties through a network of over 250 food banks across the San Joaquin Valley.
Here are upcoming food distribution centers in the Fresno County area:
- Friday, Oct. 31, from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at Fresno Christian Reformed, 1639 W Shields Ave, Fresno CA 93705.
- Wednesday, Nov. 5, from 9 to 11:30 a.m. at Fresno Spanish Seventh Day Adventist, 3033 E Olive Ave, Fresno, CA 93701.
- Wednesday, Nov. 5, from 2 to 4 p.m. at Fresno Unified, 2940 S. M.L.K. Jr Blvd, Fresno, CA 93706.
- Wednesday, Nov. 5, from 3 to 5 p.m. at Masjid Al Aqabah, 949 Waterman Ave, Fresno, CA 93706.
- Thursday, Nov. 6, from 9 to 11 a.m. at Saint Rest Community Church, 1550 E Reverend Chester Riggins Ave, Fresno, CA 93706.
- Thursday, Nov. 6, from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. at West Fresno Family Resource Center, 1825 S Delno Ave, Fresno, CA 93706.
- Thursday, Nov. 6 from 2 to 4 p.m. at Clovis Hills Community Church, 819 Tulare St, Fresno, CA 93706.
- Friday, Nov. 7 from 9 to 11 a.m. at Butler Mennonite Brethren Church, 4884 E Butler Ave, Fresno, CA 93727.
- Friday, Nov. 7 from 9 to 11 a.m. at Centro Familia de Adoracion, 4546 E Thomas Ave, Fresno, CA 93702.
- Friday, Nov. 7 from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. at Harmony Korean Church, 403 S Clovis Ave, Fresno, CA 93727.
- Saturday, Nov. 8 from 7 to 9 a.m. at Life Free Will, 1625 E. Pine St., Fresno, CA 93703.
- Saturday, Nov. 8 from 8 to 10 a.m. at Holy Ground Family Fellowship Neighborhood Market & USDA Food Distribution, 980 Gettysburg Ave, Clovis, CA 93612.
- Saturday, Nov. 8 from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. at Faith Community Church, 430 Peach Ave, Clovis, CA 93612.
- Saturday, Nov. 8 from 9 to 11 a.m. at ACTS Foundation, 5125 N Gates Ave, Fresno CA 93722.
- Saturday, Nov. 8 from 9 to 11 a.m. at Mennonite Community Church, 5015 E Olive Ave, Fresno, CA 93727.
To find additional food bank times and locations through November, check the Central California Food Bank’s food distribution calendar on the organization’s website.
“We’re prepared to be able to respond to emergency needs like this for the short term,” Co-CEO Natalie Caples told The Fresno Bee. “We’re resilient, and we’ve done this before, but this is not a situation long-term that the food bank can sustain.”
Those who are not impacted by the government shutdown and are interested in donating to the Central California Food Bank can visit the organization’s website. A $1 donation provides four meals.
Some local colleges provide free food assistance for students
The Amendola Family Student Cupboard is a free food pantry for current Fresno State Students in the Industrial Technology building room 144.
Enrolled Fresno City College students can visit the Ram Pantry in the Student Center Monday through Thursday for free food assistance.
Crush Pantry at the main Clovis Community College offers free items for current students.
DoorDash delivery fees waved for SNAP recipients
For one order in November, SNAP recipients can use DoorDash without paying delivery or service fees, the company announced in a news release.
To access the deal, users should enter their SNAP/EBT card as a payment in the app and a promo code will appear in the app that can be used to redeem the offer from Nov. 1 to Nov. 3, according to the release.
Orders must be placed at the following eligible stores to access the deal:
- Sprouts
- Dollar General
- Schnucks
- Food Lion
- Giant Foods
- The GIANT Company
- Hannaford
- Stop & Shop
- Hy-Vee
- Giant Eagle
- Wegmans
This story was originally published October 31, 2025 at 5:15 AM.