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Hi Melaena! The RAMP (Restaurant Meals Program) allows eligible CalFresh recipients to use their EBT cards at participating restaurants. For Blackstone Avenue in Fresno specifically, I'd recommend checking the official CalFresh website or calling your local county office at (559) 600-2060 for the most current list of participating locations. Restaurant participation can change, so it's best to get up-to-date information. You can also look for "CalFresh EBT Accepted Here" signs at restaurants along Blackstone. Common chains that often participate include Subway, Carl's Jr., and some pizza places, but each location needs to be individually approved. Hope this helps!
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I'm really glad I found this thread! I'm pretty new to receiving CalFresh benefits (just got my first card about 3 weeks ago) and honestly had no idea that EBT fraud was such a big issue. Reading through everyone's experiences here has been both terrifying and incredibly helpful. @Ava Thompson - Thank goodness you acted so quickly with the freeze! That could have saved you from losing everything. I can't imagine how stressful that must have been. After reading all these stories, I realize I've been way too careless with my EBT card. I've been using it at random gas stations and small shops without thinking twice about it. I'm definitely going to: 1. Set up those text alerts immediately 2. Start using the freeze/unfreeze feature between shopping trips 3. Be way more careful about inspecting card readers before using them 4. Stick to major grocery stores for my big shopping trips One question - has anyone noticed if certain times of day are safer for EBT transactions? Like, are scammers more likely to place skimmers during overnight hours when there's less staff around to notice? I usually do my grocery shopping late at night because the stores are less crowded, but now I'm wondering if I should switch to daytime shopping for security reasons. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences and tips. This community is such a valuable resource for people like me who are still learning how to navigate the CalFresh system safely!
Welcome to the community @Alberto Souchard! Your question about timing is really smart - I hadn't thought about that angle before. From what I've observed, skimmers are usually placed during busy periods when staff are distracted, not necessarily during overnight hours. Late night shopping at major chains is probably still relatively safe since they have security cameras and overnight staff. That said, if you do switch to daytime shopping, you might have the advantage of more staff around to notice if something looks off with the card readers. Plus, during busy periods, store employees are more likely to be regularly checking and maintaining their equipment. The most important thing is still those precautions everyone mentioned - inspecting the reader, covering your PIN, and using chip readers when available. Time of day probably matters less than the location and your vigilance. But if switching to daytime makes you feel more secure, that's totally valid too! You're being really proactive about this, which is great. Better to be overly cautious than to end up in @Ava Thompson s'situation though (she handled it perfectly! .)
As someone who recently went through a similar scare with my EBT card, I can't stress enough how important it is to act fast like you did @Ava Thompson! I'm so relieved you were able to freeze your card before any benefits were stolen. For anyone new to CalFresh reading this thread - please don't let these stories scare you away from using your benefits, but definitely take the security precautions seriously. Here are a few additional tips I've learned: 1. **Save the EBT customer service number in your phone** - Don't wait until there's an emergency to look it up 2. **Take a photo of your card (front only, never the back with security code)** - This makes it easier to reference your card number when calling customer service 3. **Keep receipts for a few days after shopping** - If there are any discrepancies, you'll have proof of legitimate transactions The rise in EBT fraud is really concerning, but this community sharing experiences and tips like this is so valuable. Knowledge is power when it comes to protecting our benefits! @Ava Thompson - Thanks for sharing your experience and keeping us updated. Your story will definitely help other people know exactly what to do if this happens to them.
This is such great advice @Emma Davis! I'm also relatively new to receiving CalFresh benefits and this whole thread has been incredibly educational (and yes, a little scary!). The tip about saving the EBT customer service number is brilliant - I never would have thought to do that proactively. I love how supportive this community is. Everyone sharing their experiences and tips is helping newcomers like me learn how to protect our benefits before something bad happens. It's so much better to be prepared than to learn these lessons the hard way. @Ava Thompson your quick thinking really saved the day! The fact that you froze your card immediately when you saw something suspicious shows how important it is to trust your instincts. I m'definitely going to start checking my balance more frequently and setting up all those security features people have mentioned. Thanks to everyone who has contributed to this discussion - you re'all helping to protect our entire community from fraud!
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Hey everyone! I'm new to this community and just wanted to say thank you for all the helpful information in this thread. I'm a single parent working two jobs and was really hoping the hot food program would help me out, but I see I don't qualify either. However, I learned a lot about what I CAN use my EBT for that I didn't know before! The cold prepared foods option at grocery stores sounds like it could still save me some time. Does anyone know if places like Costco or Sam's Club deli counters accept EBT for their cold prepared items? I have a membership and their portions are usually pretty good for families. Thanks again for being so welcoming and informative!
Welcome to the community! Yes, both Costco and Sam's Club accept EBT for cold prepared items from their deli counters - things like rotisserie chicken, cold sandwiches, salads, etc. Just make sure they're not heated when you buy them. Their family-sized portions are definitely great value! I'm also a working parent and those cold prepared foods have been a lifesaver on busy nights. You just pop them in the microwave at home and dinner is ready in minutes. Hope this helps and glad you found the thread useful!
Welcome to the community! I'm also relatively new here and have found everyone to be super helpful. Just wanted to add that if you're looking for quick meal solutions with your EBT, don't overlook the frozen food section either - there are tons of healthy frozen meals that you can grab and heat up that are often cheaper than the deli counter options. I work long shifts too and have found that stocking up on frozen burritos, pasta dishes, and even frozen vegetables that steam in the microwave can be real time-savers. Sometimes I'll grab a cold rotisserie chicken from the deli and pair it with some frozen veggies for a complete meal in under 5 minutes. It's not restaurant hot food, but it definitely beats cooking from scratch when you're exhausted from work!
Great suggestions! I hadn't really thought about the frozen section as much - I usually just grab fresh stuff but you're right that frozen meals could be a huge time saver. The rotisserie chicken + frozen veggies combo sounds perfect for my schedule. Do you have any specific frozen meal brands you'd recommend that work well with EBT? I'm always looking for healthy options that my kids will actually eat too. Thanks for the welcome and the tips!
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Thank you so much for the detailed breakdown! This makes so much more sense now. I didn't realize there were so many deductions. We have childcare expenses too for my cousin's kids, so sounds like that would help as well. I'll go ahead with the application now that I understand how it works.
Just wanted to add that when you apply, make sure to bring documentation for everyone in the household - pay stubs, bank statements, rent receipts, utility bills, etc. The more organized you are with your paperwork, the smoother the process goes. Also, if you apply online through BenefitsCal, you can upload documents directly which is super convenient. Good luck with your application! It sounds like you'll definitely qualify and the benefits will really help with groceries for 5 people.
This is great advice! I was wondering about the documentation part. Since my cousin's family just moved in, they don't have recent utility bills at our address yet - will that be a problem? They have pay stubs from their jobs but all their other mail is still going to their old address. Should we wait until they get some mail here or can we explain the temporary living situation?
Kolton Murphy
BenefitsCal is back up!! Just got in and was able to upload my documents. It's moving really slow though so be patient when you're uploading. At least it's working now!
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Julia Hall
•still not working for me :( keeps timing out when i try to login
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Kolton Murphy
•Try clearing your cookies or using incognito mode, that sometimes helps. Or maybe try again in an hour - they might be gradually restoring service by county or something.
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Genevieve Cavalier
Just wanted to share another tip that helped me during system outages - if you have a smartphone, try using the mobile browser instead of the desktop version. Sometimes one works when the other doesn't. Also, I've found that trying to access BenefitsCal very early in the morning (like 5-6am) or late at night often works better because there's less traffic on the servers. It's frustrating that we have to work around their technical issues, but these workarounds have saved me multiple times when I had urgent deadlines!
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TommyKapitz
•This is really helpful advice! I never thought about trying different times of day. I'm new to CalFresh and still learning all these workarounds. It's kind of crazy that we have to become tech experts just to access our benefits, but I really appreciate you sharing these tips. The mobile browser idea is smart - I'll definitely try that next time the desktop site isn't working.
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