Food Pantries & Food Banks for Low Income

Food banks near me – Find food banks near you. Find churches giving away groceries today in your state.  Organizations like Feeding America and Second Harvest are a few of the places you can get something to feed your family.  These charities give away canned goods, fresh meat, and household items such as soap, toilet paper, detergent, toothpaste, etc.

A neighborhood food pantry or food bank can make the difference between eating and going to bed hungry. These food banks support disadvantaged families who could not make it without this help. It is heartbreaking to tell you, children, there is nothing to eat. It is hard to believe that many children in the United States go to bed hungry.

How do Struggling Families Manage?

I recently received a comment from a woman trying to raise a child on an $8.00 an hour job. Her rent is $635 a month, childcare costs her $175 a month, and utilities are $150.  That leaves $1,220 a month after taxes to care for two people.

That leaves $65 a week to pay for groceries transportation/gas, lunch, and incidentals. This is the face of the working poor. They don’t make enough to care for their family, and many make too much to receive government help.  If you need it, you may want to go to a community pantry for help.

Where are the Best Food Banks & Pantries Near Me?

Feeding America

Feeding America originally started as a clearinghouse for food donations throughout the United States in 1979. Today it is one of the largest organizations for hunger relief in the country.  They network with over 200 food banks and 60,000  pantries and meal program agencies in the U.S.  

Loaves & Fishes

Loaves & Fishes is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.   Their goal is to end hunger and bring hope and dignity to underserved communities.  The organization is run with volunteers’ help, and community churches distribute groceries and toiletries.

No Kid Hungry

1 in 4  children goes to bed hungry every day.  The only good mean some children get was in school.  Today because of the pandemic, many schools are closed and little ones would be left to go hungry if it were not for food programs.  No Kid Hungry has a ‘food map’ where you can locate a number of places in your area to pick up groceries.  Enter your zip code, or your city and town to find free meals being served near you.

What is the US Food Banks Purchasing Program?

OneHarvest is a purchase program. It is non-denominational and faith-based, open to all people. Anyone can purchase groceries at a huge discount. Each month they have a menu. You pre-order pre-packaged meats, vegetables, and other foods and pick up your selection at a designated time.

OneHarvest working in conjunction with local ministries, outreaches, and churches, to help families save on groceries and connected with like-minded people in your area.  You can purchase with cash or EBT.  To locate a food purchasing program in your city, go (here) and enter your zip code.

FIND A LOCAL FOOD BANK HERE

How Local Food Banks Near you Help

• Organized a neighborhood food drive to help distribute groceries
• Donating can goods to your local food banks or soup kitchen.
• If you have the time, consider volunteering at a soup kitchen or food bank.
• Live on $7 a day to feed your family, to understand how a person on SNAP lives.
• Teach your children not to waste food. (If you want to see how much food people waste, go to any buffet.  It isn’t reassuring)

Banks in New York

New York City
Food banks in the Hudson Valley
New York City Coalition Against Hunger

Charities Stop Food Waste

America wastes more food than any other nation.  Every year billions of pounds of food are wasted.  Up to 40% of produce grown in the U.S. will never be eaten.  It will end up in an incinerator or a landfill as meals for seagulls and other wild birds if not rescued.

Many grocery stores throw out passes due to groceries.  This discarded food is safe and edible but must by law be disposed of by a certain date. Today, food banks, churches, and other charities can pick up this food like bread, cake, produce, pre-packaged deli food, milk, juice, etc.

Feeding America gathers the food purchased and donated and divers it to local book banks.  The food banks, in return, donate food to people in their community.

You May Also Want to Read

Do I Qualify for the SNAP Benefits? Snap Food Stamps