Some days it feels impossible to get dinner on the table. It’s hard to have enough money for rent, gas, food, and every other thing that life throws at you. Sometimes even when you can afford to have the ingredients it’s hard to even have the time to cook a meal. If only there was a way to get free food when you needed it…
Well, you are in luck! There is help and there are so many ways though to get free food or even discounted food for you and your family that don’t break the bank or create extra food waste.
In this post we will go over all the ways that you can get free or discounted food and as a bonus, other ways you can save.
Enroll in a Food Assistance Program
It’s important that if you are struggling to have enough money for food you take advantage of everything you can to get free food.
SNAP Benefits
Out of all the Food Assistance programs, SNAP benefits are probably the first one that comes to mind for many. After all, why wouldn’t it when food stamps help more than 42 million people each year?
Snap Benefits also known as EBT benefits or Food Stamps is by far the largest government-run nutrition assistance program. If you are struggling to access food for you and your family check to see if you qualify for this program.
Other Assistance Programs
While food stamps are certainly the biggest form and source of free food for many, there are also many alternative programs that you can participate in to meet your needs.
Below is a short list of other government programs that can assist those who need help getting nutritious food.
- Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP)
- Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP)
- Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR)
- Senior Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program
- WIC – Women, Infants, and Children
Your state may also offer specific assistance programs in your area.
Where Else Can I Get a Free Meal or Free Food?
Sadly 29% of people experiencing food insecurity do not qualify for federal food assistance programs.
Not able to qualify or enroll in an assistance program? No worries! There are still plenty of ways that you can get free food.
Food Banks and Food Pantries
Another way that you can receive free food is by visiting a local food bank or pantry. While these two may sound the same and they serve the same purpose of helping people get free food they do function a bit differently.
A food bank is a non-profit that stores food and has the food distributed through its networks to local communities, shelters, and charities.
A food pantry is a site that distributes food directly to those in need in that specific area. Many food pantries receive their food from a food bank.
How to Find a Local Food Bank
One of the quickest ways to find a food bank near you is to simply search online. Just searching “food bank locator” brings up several site pages that all have the aim of helping you find the closest food bank locations. Contacting these food banks will get you in touch with their network which can help you receive free food.
Find a Food Pantry
Little Free Pantry
The Little Free Pantry is part of the mini pantry movement, a grassroots, and crowdsourced movement formed in response to local and immediate food needs. These pantries are not owned by the “organization” but rather are set up by an individual or a group and maintained by them or the community as a whole.
What they do is set up wooden boxes and then stock the mini pantries with non-perishables and even personal care items. Every box is different and items in the box may change frequently but if you’re in need of food you should check out their map for a location near you.
Freedge
Freedge.org is a community movement similar to the Little Free Pantry. The major difference is that instead of a wooden box, Freedge are refrigerators. These fridges are also maintained by an individual or community to help provide food to those in need.
Religious Organizations
There are many religious organizations that help provide free food or even free meals to those in their community. Many Catholic churches are in contact with local food pantries and food banks or even have food pantries themselves. Or if you happen to live by a Sikh temple you can also get a lacto-vegetarian meal for free.
Check Local Facebook Pages
You never know where you might find free food or a free meal right in your community. Facebook pages and Facebook groups can be a great way to see what resources are available to you at a local level. This could be especially helpful for college students as many universities have food pantries or other programs available and update them through Facebook.
MORE Free Food
Deals, Rewards, and More Free Food
While not completely free, many restaurants, cafes, and fast food joints have some rewards programs or special days where they have free food or discounts on certain items. Even gas stations like Wawa run promos such as Free Coffee for having the rewards program or app downloaded to your phone.
Other programs will have deals where you purchase food on the apps and in return, you can get amazing offers such as deals on your first order, coupons on a future in-app purchase, half off food, or even being able to earn points.
Below we’ll cover some of the most common places and how you can get free food and discounts from them.
Pizzerias
Most Pizza Restaurants offer deals on combo items on their menus. That way you’re able to get a large pizza at a discounted price if you also buy a drink and a side. You get a better deal bundling all of this together than if you went with items not a part of the bundle.
Many pizza places also have rewards programs that give you points for placing an order online or through an in-app order. These points can then be exchanged to get freebies like free wings or free dessert.
Coffee Shop Rewards
Even your favorite coffee shops offer rewards and free food when you join their rewards programs.
One example is the Dunkin Donuts rewards program if you visit Dunkin Donuts 12 times in a calendar month you can earn points even quicker through their Boosted Status blah blah
Kids Eat Free
The USDA estimates that a one-year-old costs $173 a month to feed while an eighteen-year-old can cost $304 a month or even more. So it stands to say that if you are a parent you might want to stretch that dollar a little bit more.
If you are eating out take advantage of any restaurant that has meals for children that are free. The Kids Eat Free Promo is a common one and it makes sure that you can still get your child a delicious meal while being able to save a bit of money. Even if this deal is often age-restricted to children under a certain age the savings can still add up if you have little ones. This especially adds up if you are the parent of more than one child.
Free Ice cream
Yes, you read that right! While it’s important to have delicious, nutritious meals it doesn’t hurt to have a little treat every now and then. The only thing that could make it better is that treat being FREE.
It’s easy all you have to do is download the Baskin Robbins app, sign up for mobile deals and you can enjoy a regular scoop for free. Now isn’t that sweet?
Another way to Save - Free Phone Service with EASY Wireless
There are so many ways that you can get free food, meals, or even just an extra little treat or free snacks. But there’s no better way than to have extra money for food.
How do you get this extra money you may ask? EASY.
You could be eligible for FREE Unlimited Talk, Text, and Data with EASY Wireless thanks to the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP). If you have SNAP benefits you could already qualify for free phone service and even if you don’t have SNAP there are several other qualifying government programs as well as qualifying by income.
Once you’re no longer paying for phone bills every month imagine how much money you could put towards other things such as food. Not to mention a phone is just the thing you need to be able to get into contact with local food assistance such as food banks and food pantries.
It takes only a few minutes to see if you qualify. Enter your email and zip code in the box below and click “Enroll Now” to get started.
Start Saving Today!
Get the Free Food you and Your Family Need
Government programs, food pantries, meal programs, and deals at your favorite restaurants, there are so many ways that you can get free food for you and your family in times of need.
No matter your diet or how much you can afford to pay some resources make buying meals or even getting your fruit and vegetables as easy as making a phone call or searching for the closest resources online.
Want to save even more money? How about using that free service to see how to get Free Gas or Free Furniture?
