Food Resources & Assistance
For anyone struggling to afford food during this difficult time, there are many local and national programs that can help you.
For anyone struggling to afford food during this difficult time, there are many local and national programs that can help you.
Always free & confidential for all Massachusetts residents, our expert counselors are ready to assist callers in 180 languages. Our FoodSource Hotline provides free, expert assistance in understanding what programs are out there to help you go beyond just making ends meet, stretch your food budget, and reliably feed yourself or your family. They can help you access local food resources and federal nutrition programs. They can tell you if you qualify for SNAP - a.k.a. money for groceries - and help you apply, where you can find free meals for your kids, and many other local food programs. Let's chat!
All school meals are free for every student in MA this school year (2021-2022). We encourage all parents to take advantage of this offering, to save you time and money, and provide peace of mind in knowing a reliable source of food is part of your child’s school day.
Free meals are available for ALL kids & teens, ages 0-18, at hundreds of locations throughout Massachusetts during the summer months. No registration or identification is required, and meal sites are located across over the state. Find a site near you.
No matter what you’re going through, food is a must. SNAP stands for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (formerly known as food stamps), aka money for groceries. This straightforward program is designed to provide monthly financial assistance in the form of a debit card used to purchase groceries. You will need to apply to receive SNAP. Our FoodSource Hotline counselors can help you find out if you are eligible and help you apply. Call us today (it’s always free), or you can apply on your own online through DTA Connect.
WIC is a nutrition program that provides healthy foods, nutrition education, breastfeeding support, and referrals to healthcare and other services, free of charge, to Massachusetts families who qualify. WIC’s goal is to help children under 5 and those that are pregnant, just had a baby or are breastfeeding stay healthy. ALL WIC Programs are providing all services by phone during the pandemic. The WIC website contains updated information and individuals may contact the local WIC programs with any questions about breastfeeding, nutrition, and shopping. WIC is available to all families regardless of immigration or citizenship status. Check out WIC's eligibility page to see how families can apply online for WIC services. Individuals receiving SNAP and many types of MassHealth are automatically income-eligible for WIC. Parents, grandparents and foster parents may apply for children under the age of five years who are in their care.
The Pandemic - Electronic Benefits Transfer (P‑EBT) Program was temporarily created in Spring 2020 to provide funds for food to households with a student who is eligible for free or reduced-price school meals, and who is enrolled in either a hybrid or remote model for school. These funds help families replace the meals their student was missing at school on days it was closed due to the pandemic. Based on federal rules, students attending school in-person are not eligible for P-EBT. Families eligible for P-EBT benefits are notified by mail and automatically receive these benefits. There is no application to receive P-EBT. Based on federal rules, families receive varying P-EBT amounts. Summer P-EBT benefits were issued on July 1 and August 1 in 2021, no benefits are approved for Summer 2022 at this time. Retroactive benefits have been approved for P-EBT payment for September 2021 through April 2022 for COVID-related absences from school for P-EBT eligible students. on May 25, 2022. Benefits will be issued on May 25, 2022. Eligible families will receive one of three P-EBT amounts per month, per student depending on the number of COVID-19 related eligible excused school absences, as determined by school districts: 1-5 absences: $21 a month per student 6-15 absences: $71 a month per student 16+ absences: $128 a month per student. Again, eligible households will not start receiving these retroactive payments until May 25, 2022.
Food pantries provide free emergency groceries to individuals and families in their local communities. Please see the links to the right to find one near you that could provide immediate relief or call Project Bread's FoodSource Hotline for a list of pantries near you.
Meals on Wheels is a program that offers well-balanced meals to adults through home delivery or congregated dining sites, and is run by senior nutrition agencies located throughout Massachusetts. If you need home-delivered meals, staff will make an appointment for a home-delivered meal assessment.