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Resources for Food and Meal Assistance

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Please call 911 if there is an immediate risk for harm or an emergency

For suicide intervention, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline to get help by phone at 988 or 1-800-273-TALK (1-800-273-8255) Toll-free in the U.S. 24 hours a day.

To report a sexual assault, Call 911 or contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 800.656.HOPE (4673) to speak with a trained sexual assault service provider in your area.

If you need food now, call the USDA National Hunger Hotline at 1-866-3-HUNGRY (1-866-348-6479) or 1-877-8-HAMBRE (1-877-842-6273). Information is available in English and Spanish, Monday through Friday, 7:00 AM to 10:00 PM Eastern Time. Representatives are available to help find food resources such as meal sites, food banks, and other social services available near your location.

By Text: Send a text to the automated service at 914-342-7744 with a question that may contain a keyword such as “food,” “summer,” “meals,” etc. to receive an automated response to resources located near an address and/or zip code.  Message and data rates may apply.

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is a federal nutrition program. Known previously as “food stamps,” SNAP benefits can help you stretch your food budget if you have a low income.  Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it may be easier for you and your family to get food stamps and take part in meal programs. Contact your state’s social services agency to see if you’re eligible.

During the pandemic:

  • Food stamp (SNAP) recipients may receive additional funding. More people may be eligible to receive SNAP during the pandemic than normally.
  • Parents whose kids’ schools are closed can pick up school meals for their kids to eat at home.
  • People can enroll in food programs remotely rather than in person. This applies to programs for pregnant women, families, seniors, and people with disabilities.

WIC Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children is available for low-income women and young children can get healthy food to add to their diet. It’s available through the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC). WIC also offers nutrition counseling and referrals to health, welfare, and social services.  WIC services are often provided through county health departments, hospitals, mobile clinics (vans), community centers, schools, public housing sites, migrant health centers and camps, Indian Health Service facilities.  WIC Pre-Screening Tool.

The WIC target population are low-income, nutritionally at risk:

  • Pregnant women (through pregnancy and up to 6 weeks after birth or after pregnancy ends).
  • Breastfeeding women (up to infant’s 1st birthday)
  • Non-breastfeeding postpartum women (up to 6 months after the birth of an infant or after pregnancy ends)
  • Infants (up to 1st birthday). WIC serves 53 percent of all infants born in the United States.
  • Children up to their 5th birthday.

The Emergency Food Assistance Program is a federal program that helps supplement the diets of low-income Americans, including elderly people, by providing them with emergency food assistance at no cost. Through TEFAP, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) purchases a variety of nutritious, high-quality USDA Foods, and makes those foods available to state distributing agencies.  States provide the food to local agencies that they have selected, usually food banks, which in turn distribute the food to local organizations, such as soup kitchens and food pantries that directly serve the public.

Free School Meals for Children

These programs can help you get healthy meals for your children at their school, childcare center, or after-school program. Children from qualified households with a low income can get healthy meals or milk.

Your children automatically qualify for free meals or milk if:

  • They are foster children under the legal responsibility of a foster care agency or court

USDA Meals for Kids Site Finder (Summer Site Finder).  The USDA works closely with states to ensure that children who receive on free or reduced-price school meals can get the nutrition they need when schools are closed – whether during summer break or unexpected closures during the school year.  Approved sites in communities across the country can serve meals to kids up to age 18 at no cost. Families can use this tool to find directions to nearby meal sites, as well as their hours of operation and contact information.

Food Assistance for Seniors

Most states offer these programs for seniors with a low income:

You may be eligible if you’re:

Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations

The Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR) provides USDA Foods to income-eligible households living on Indian reservations and to Native American households residing in designated areas near reservations or in Oklahoma. FDPIR offers a wide variety of fresh fruits and vegetables, frozen meats, whole grains, and traditional foods.

Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program

The Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program is also called food stamps for disaster situations. D-SNAP provides one month of benefits on a debit-type card that you can use at most grocery stores.  Once your state sets up a D-SNAP program, you have about a week to apply.  If you qualify, you receive benefits within three days.

  • You live where:
    • The president has declared individual assistance for a disaster
    • The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service has approved states to operate D-SNAP
    • Yours has requested and received approval to operate D-SNAP

    You may qualify for D-SNAP even if you would not qualify for regular SNAP (food stamps) because:

    • You’re out of work or have reduced or delayed income due to the disaster
    • You’re facing costly home repairs or temporary shelter expenses

    If you already receive SNAP, you can apply for D-SNAP if you do not get the most allowable under SNAP and have disaster-related losses.

    As a separate benefit, you may be able to get free meals for your children or your entire family. School meals programs provide these meals.

List compiled by USA.gov

Food Banks, Soup Kitchens and Free Food Pantries

The Feeding America nationwide network of food banks and food programs helps millions of people find food and grocery help in their communities every year. Connect with your local food bank to learn about upcoming free food distributions and to apply for national food programs.

Foodpantries.org is a directory of food Banks, soup kitchens, subsidized groceries and non-profit organizations committed to fighting hunger by state.