When your income is low, or you run into financial trouble, two main worries come to mind. First, you wonder how you’ll pay the rent so you can stay off the streets. And second, you wonder how you’ll pay for food, so your family doesn’t starve.
While there are ways to get housing assistance from the government, we won’t focus on that today. Instead, we’ll look at how the government can give you food assistance from one handy website.
Getting Food Help From the Government via USA.gov
The last thing you want to do when your family is hungry is run all over the place looking for food. Time is of the essence, and you want to find the help you need as quickly and as efficiently as possible.
What’s the best way to do that? By merely going here and visiting the Food Assistance page on USA.gov. The fact that this page hosts so many food assistance resources is excellent. What’s even better, though, is that it’s an official site of the U.S. government, so you can use it without worries about being scammed.
USA.gov Food-Related Features
USA.gov offers everything under the sun, including affordable housing, financial aid for students, help with bills, unemployment assistance, grants and loans, and more. As far as its food assistance features, here’s the rundown:
Help If You Need Food Right Now
All of your food worries may be solved by making a quick call to the National Hunger Hotline. It functions in English by calling 866-3-HUNGRY and in Spanish by calling 877-8-HAMBRE. Call between 7 am and 10 pm Monday through Friday, and you can find out where food assistance exists near you.
The operator may let you know of any local food drives that are currently active. They may also tell you of churches or community organizations offering free food to those who need it.
Will calling the hotline be a long-term solution for your food needs? Probably not, as you likely want something more stable, such as these next options.
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SNAP
If you’re tired of having a minimal budget for food, SNAP, or the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program could be of big help.
More commonly referred to as food stamps, SNAP gives most participants funds on a card. Visit a grocery store that accepts SNAP benefits, and you can swipe the card to pay for qualifying items. The more family members you have, the more benefits you can receive.
WIC
If you’re pregnant right now or recently have a child, WIC, or the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children can supplement your nutrition. WIC will give you the funding you need to buy items that recent mothers and children need, such as formula, milk, and more.
School Programs
Kids can get food assistance through USA.gov in a variety of ways beyond SNAP and WIC. Here are some of the more popular ones:
- The School Breakfast Program
- The National School Lunch Program
- The Summer Food Service Program
Senior Programs
Seniors can receive food assistance as well via these two programs:
- Commodity Supplemental Food Program
- Senior Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program
To find out more about these and all of the other resources in this article, visit the USA.gov Food Assistance page.