Government food assistance program guides
Plain-English explainers for every major federal nutrition program. Each guide covers who qualifies, what you receive, how to apply, and what to do next if you are denied.
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 a debit card at most grocery stores, man…
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, infants and children under five. About half o…
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 regardless of family income through Com…
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 go without breakfast and lunch.…
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 up a USDA-labeled box of pasta, peanut …
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 under-publicized federal nutrition progra…
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 centers. It is one of the most important — a…
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 reservations. It is an alternative to SNAP fo…
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 have not done paperwork.…
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