Food Assistance Guides
These guides explain how the main food assistance programs work and how to get help. Each one is based on official pages from USDA, Feeding America, 211.org and other named organizations, lists its sources at the end, and shows the date it was last reviewed. For where the listings on this site come from, see Data Sources and Methodology.
How SNAP Works: Income Limits and Benefit Amounts for 2026-2027
How SNAP households, income tests, deductions and monthly benefits work, with USDA's income limit and maximum allotment tables for Oct. 2026 to Sept. 2027.
How to Apply for SNAP in Your State: Program Names, Phone Numbers and Links
Steps to apply for SNAP, plus a table of every state's program name, phone number and application link from the USDA SNAP State Directory.
WIC Basics: Who Qualifies, What It Provides and How to Apply
What WIC provides for pregnant women, new mothers, infants and children under 5, who is eligible, what to bring to the first appointment, and how to start.
TEFAP: How USDA Emergency Food Reaches Food Banks and Pantries
What the Emergency Food Assistance Program is, how USDA food moves from states to food banks to pantries, who can receive it, and what to ask when you call.
Your First Food Pantry Visit: What to Expect and What to Bring
A plain guide to a first visit to a food pantry: who can go, questions to ask on the phone, what to bring, and what usually happens when you arrive.
Food Bank vs. Food Pantry vs. Soup Kitchen: What Is the Difference?
How food banks, food pantries and soup kitchens differ, how food moves between them, and which one to contact for groceries, a hot meal or ongoing help.
Using SNAP at Farmers Markets and Double Up Food Bucks Programs
How to use SNAP at farmers markets, what nutrition incentive matching programs like Double Up Food Bucks are, and how federal GusNIP funding supports them.
School Meals, Summer Meals and Summer EBT: A Parent's Guide
How school lunch and breakfast, free and reduced-price meals, the Summer Food Service Program and $120 Summer EBT grocery benefits work, per USDA.
Food Programs for Seniors: CSFP, Meals on Wheels, Farmers Market Vouchers and SNAP
Food help for adults 60 and older: the Commodity Supplemental Food Program, Meals on Wheels, the Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program and SNAP rules for seniors.
D-SNAP: Disaster Food Assistance After a Hurricane, Flood or Fire
What Disaster SNAP (D-SNAP) is, how it differs from regular SNAP, how it is approved, how long applications are open, and where to check if your area has it.
How to Find a Food Pantry Today: 211, Feeding America and Hunger Hotline
The fastest ways to find food today: calling 211, the Feeding America food bank locator, a national hunger hotline, and this site's state and county pages.
How to Donate or Volunteer at a Food Bank
How to find your local food bank, what volunteers do, ways to give money or food, and questions to ask before you start, based on Feeding America's guidance.