CHLA is the first pediatric medical institution in California to have SNAP/EBT nutrition assistance integrated into the hospital system.

Patient families and team members at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA) who are eligible for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and the Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) system can now use their benefits to purchase fresh produce and other healthy food goods at CHLA's in-hospital Family Pantry. CHLA is the first pediatric medical institution in California to have SNAP/EBT nutrition assistance integrated into the hospital system.

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Patient families and team members at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles who are eligible for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and the Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) system can now use their benefits to purchase fresh produce and other healthy food goods at CHLA's in-hospital Family Pantry.

SNAP is a federal program funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) that offers monthly nutrition support to low-income households through a plastic debit card, in place of paper food stamps, while EBT refers to the electronic system that accepts payments via these debit cards at authorized stores. It’s a resource that about 40 million Americans—1 in 8 people—benefit from monthly. SNAP and EBT are in use at participant stores in all 50 states. Now, one of those stores is located within CHLA.

Addressing Food Insecurity Among Team Members and Families

“All of this work started in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic,” says Kelie Lam, Director of CHLA’s Food and Nutrition Services. “We began offering pantry items like oats and cereal, as well as produce for our team members and families who couldn’t get to the grocery store.” At that time, many team members were unable to access grocery stores due to working long shifts and maintaining isolation precautions to avoid the spread of infection.

“We were trying to be creative to figure out how we could continue to provide fresh food access,” says Susan Gantan, MPH, Senior Program Manager of Community Affairs at CHLA. The goal was to avoid food insecurity, which occurs when individuals do not have access to enough food to live a healthy life.

Part of this work involved identifying excess food at the hospital that was going unused due to pandemic-related safety concerns over the numbers of personnel and families coming into the hospital on a given day, which led to a reduction in visitors to CHLA’s HBO Café. This food was reclaimed and provided to CHLA team members and patient families, as well as external community organizations.

This concept began to grow into a larger plan when Gantan reached out to Kelie Lam, Director of CHLA’s Food and Nutrition Services with an idea to better address the needs of CHLA families and team members by expanding the program by connecting it with SNAP.

The COVID-19 pandemic had highlighted widespread food insecurity in L.A. County, particularly for kids who were no longer attending school in person and couldn’t rely on free lunch programs to help supply them with food during the day. “Compound that with a parent’s job loss, childcare needs, or in our case the need for some families to be at CHLA for long stretches to deal with challenging health complications, and the food insecurity issue drastically worsened,” Gantan says.

For this SNAP expansion, Gantan, Lam, and their colleagues worked with CHLA’s Food Access Hub, a coalition of community organizations that help supply CHLA with fresh, nutritious food, including the East Hollywood Community Garden, the East Hollywood Neighborhood Council, and Rick’s Produce Market. They also worked with the USDA and the Los Angeles County Department of Public Social Services to gain approval to accept SNAP benefits and use the EBT system at CHLA.

Creating the Family Pantry

The result of these collaborations is the recently opened convenience store, known as the Family Pantry, at CHLA. The Pantry, located next door to the HBO Café, is now enabled to use the EBT system to provide SNAP-eligible individuals with a variety of rotating healthy food options.

“The Family Pantry offers farm-fresh organic produce from our community partner, Rick’s Produce Market, along with dry pantry staples and essential items,” Lam explains. “To further enhance the experience, we will be introducing Rick’s signature smoothie as a daily pop-up feature, made fresh Monday through Friday.” Rick and his team will also provide farm-to-table education through periodic workshops regarding their featured seasonal produce selections and offerings.

About Children’s Hospital Los Angeles

Children’s Hospital Los Angeles is at the forefront of pediatric medicine and is the largest provider of hospital care for children in California. Since its founding in 1901, CHLA has delivered a level of pediatric care that is among the best in the world. Ranked one of the top 10 children’s hospitals in the nation by U.S. News & World Report, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles provides comprehensive and compassionate care to one of the largest and most diverse pediatric patient populations in the country. The hospital is the top-ranked children’s hospital in California and the Pacific U.S. region for 2025-26. A leader in pediatric research, CHLA is among the top 10 children’s hospitals for research funding from the National Institutes of Health. The Saban Research Institute of Children's Hospital Los Angeles supports the full continuum of research, translating scientific discoveries into life-changing treatments for patients around the globe. As a pediatric academic medical center, CHLA is also home to one of the largest graduate education programs for pediatricians in the United States. The hospital’s commitment to building stronger, healthier communities is evident in CHLA’s efforts to enhance health education and literacy, introduce more people to careers in health care, and fight food insecurity. To learn more, follow CHLA on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, and X, and visit CHLA.org.

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