Find a free food pantry — anywhere in the US
Search a directory of 745+ verified food pantries and food banks across 51 states. Plus plain-English guides to SNAP, WIC, school meals, and other federal food assistance programs you may already qualify for.
Free · No registration · Independent of any food bank network
Federal food assistance programs
If you have ever wondered whether you qualify for SNAP, WIC, school meals, or one of the other federal programs — start here. Most eligible households are not enrolled.
SNAP — Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program
Low-income households of any age
SNAP, formerly known as food stamps, is the largest federal nutrition program in the United States. It loads a monthly benefit onto an EBT card that works like …
Read the guide →WIC — Women, Infants, and Children Nutrition Program
Pregnant people, new parents, infants, and children under 5
WIC provides specific food packages, infant formula, breastfeeding support, nutrition education and healthcare referrals for pregnant people, new parents, infan…
Read the guide →School Meals — Free and Reduced-Price Breakfast and Lunch
Students K-12 in participating schools
The National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program serve nearly 30 million children every school day. In many districts, every student now eats free…
Read the guide →Summer Food Service Program & SUN Bucks
Children 18 and under during summer break
When school cafeterias close for the summer, the Summer Food Service Program and the new SUN Bucks summer EBT benefit step in to feed kids who would otherwise g…
Read the guide →TEFAP — The Emergency Food Assistance Program
Low-income households via food banks and pantries
TEFAP is the federal program that supplies USDA-purchased food to food banks, which then distribute to local pantries and soup kitchens. If you have ever picked…
Read the guide →CSFP — Senior Food Boxes (Commodity Supplemental Food Program)
Adults 60 and older with low income
CSFP delivers a monthly box of USDA-purchased food — about 25 pounds of shelf-stable groceries — to low-income seniors aged 60 and over. It is one of the most u…
Read the guide →CACFP — Child and Adult Care Food Program
Children in daycare and adults in care centers
CACFP reimburses meals served in child care centers, family daycare homes, Head Start programs, afterschool programs, emergency shelters, and adult daycare cent…
Read the guide →FDPIR — Food Distribution on Indian Reservations
Members of federally recognized tribes living on or near reservations
FDPIR provides USDA commodity foods to low-income households living on Indian reservations and to American Indian families residing in approved areas near reser…
Read the guide →I Need Food Today — A Fast-Action Guide
Anyone in an immediate food crisis
If your refrigerator is empty and you have nothing to feed your family today, this guide is for you. There are options. You will not be turned away because you …
Read the guide →Browse pantries by state
Pick a state to see cities and individual food pantry listings.
Recently listed pantries
A sample from the directory. Each listing includes contact info, hours when available, and what to bring.
34 Pantry
34 Pantry is a ministry of Christian Center Church. The mission of 34 Pantry is to meet the basic physiological needs of low-income Boulder City residents in a dignified and supportive manner…
View details →ABQ Redemption Food Ministry
Redemption Food Ministry is a ministry of United Bible Fellowship Church in Albuquerque, NM. Each Saturday morning at 9 am we hand out food to those in need. We share the Gospel…
View details →Abenaki Nation of Missisquoi Food Pantry
The community room, in the tribal building, has been converted into a food pantry.Food Pantry Hours:Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 9:00am - 4:00pm...
View details →Aberdeen Food Bank
Hours:Until the end of August 2018Tuesday2:15am - 4:15pmStarting in September 2018Tuesday3:00pm - 5:00pmFor more information, please call.
View details →Aberdeen Loaves and Fishes Food Pantry
We now have a complete Grocery store in our building for anyone 70 years and older to shop.
View details →Abilene Area Board Of Missions
Provides a food pantry. Serves Low income residents meeting Tex Cap guidelines Pantry hours: Wednesday 9am- 1pm. By appointment.
View details →Abilene Baptist Social Ministries - Food Pantry
Offers a box of perishable and non-perishable food items.Food Pantry Hours of Distribution:Tuesdays and Thursdays 12:00pm - 2:00pmAdditional Services:Clothing, fans, household goods, baby clothing, children's clothing, men and women's clothing, coats, and…
View details →Abingdon Food Pantry
Pantry hours: 12:00 pm - 3:00 pm Tuesday.
View details →Abington Food Pantry - St. Vicent de Paul
Provides a food pantry.Hours:Tuesday 5:30pm - 7:30pm Eligibility restrictions.For more information, please call.
View details →How food assistance fits together
Food pantries, food banks, and federal nutrition programs are different things — and most people use a combination. A food pantry is a local site that hands food directly to households in need; many are run by churches, community centers, or non-profits. A food bank is a larger regional warehouse that supplies food to dozens or hundreds of pantries across a city or state. Federal programs like SNAP, WIC, and school meals provide ongoing support — usually a card or voucher you can spend at a regular grocery store.
Pantries are designed for short-term help while you wait for federal benefits to be approved, or to fill in the last week of the month when the SNAP card is empty. There is no shame in using both. Roughly one in eight Americans uses SNAP in a typical month and one in seven visits a food pantry in a typical year. The system works best when households who qualify for federal programs sign up for them, freeing pantry capacity for those in immediate crisis.