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Basic Needs: Food

    Results: 18

  • Brown Bag Food Programs (1)
    BD-1800.1000

    Brown Bag Food Programs

    BD-1800.1000

    Programs offered by senior centers or other community organizations, generally outside the food pantry network, that pack shopping bags (or other containers) with a supply of nutritional donated and surplus food for distribution to low-income individuals or families, students or older adults to supplement their meals at home.
  • Commodity Supplemental Food Program (2)
    BD-1800.1500

    Commodity Supplemental Food Program

    BD-1800.1500

    A federally funded program that works to improve the health of elderly people age 60 and older who meet income eligibility requirements by supplementing their diets with nutritious USDA commodity foods. The program provides food and administrative funds to states, typically departments of health, social services, education or agriculture. The state agencies store CSFP food and distribute it to local public and private, nonprofit organizations that determine the eligibility of applicants, distribute the food, and provide nutrition education.
  • Community Gardening (2)
    BD-2600.1500

    Community Gardening

    BD-2600.1500

    Programs that provide plots of land on which groups of people living in a neighborhood can grow fruits, vegetables, herbs and flowers. Community gardens provide access to fresh produce and plants; may be located in parks, schools, hospital grounds or other open areas; and may be nurtured communally and the bounty shared, have individual plots for personal use, or be dedicated to "urban agriculture" where produce is grown for a market. Some have raised beds that are accessible to people with disabilities. The gardens provide an opportunity for participants to savor the freshness, flavor and wholesomeness of home-grown produce; save money on their food bills; grow traditional foods not available in the supermarket; or simply get some exercise and enjoy the benefits of being outdoors. They also support a community's food security, contribute to the preservation of open space, strengthen community bonds, provide a sense of connection to the environment and offer opportunities for community education.
  • Community Meals (16)
    BD-5000.1470

    Community Meals

    BD-5000.1470

    Programs that organizes suppers, lunches or other get-togethers that give community residents an opportunity to meet one another in a friendly and informal atmosphere while sharing a meal. Community meals are generally sponsored by churches, libraries and other local community organizations and coordinated by volunteers.
  • Congregate Meals/Nutrition Sites (3)
    BD-5000.1500

    Congregate Meals/Nutrition Sites

    BD-5000.1500

    Programs that provide hot meals on a regular basis primarily for older adults who may be at risk for nutritional deficits and social isolation without assistance. Congregate meals are often combined with recreational, educational and social activities, and programs may include access to health services and/or information. Some programs are also open to caregivers, spouses and/or adults with disabilities.
  • Emergency Food Clearinghouses (1)
    BD-1850

    Emergency Food Clearinghouses

    BD-1850

    Programs that coordinate requests for emergency food assistance by screening individuals who apply using criteria established by the food pantries or other providers, maintaining lists of individuals who have been aided, and checking new applicants against the lists before referring them to a resource that can meet their needs. Emergency food clearinghouses help to avoid duplication of service and maximize the availability of food resources while relieving the agencies of the task of handling requests directly. Also included are programs that refer people needing food to an appropriate resource, but which are not the sole source for this information.
  • Food Pantries (36)
    BD-1800.2000

    Food Pantries

    BD-1800.2000

    Programs that acquire food products through donations, canned food drives, food bank programs or direct purchase and distribute the food to people who are in emergency situations. Some pantries deliver food to people whose disabilities or illnesses make it difficult for them to leave home.
  • Food Pantries for Older Adults (1)
    BD-1800.2000 * YB-8000

    Food Pantries for Older Adults

    BD-1800.2000 * YB-8000

    Programs that acquire food products through donations, canned food drives, food bank programs or direct purchase and distribute the food to people who are in emergency situations. Some pantries deliver food to people whose disabilities or illnesses make it difficult for them to leave home.

    Individuals who are age 50, 55, 60, 62 or 65 or older depending on the minimum age for qualifying as an older adult which varies by program.

  • Food Stamps/SNAP (3)
    NL-6000.2000

    Food Stamps/SNAP

    NL-6000.2000

    A federally-funded program administered locally by the county or the state that enables low-income and indigent households to obtain an electronic benefit transfer (EBT) card similar to a bank debit card which can be used in most grocery stores to purchase food. Approved households are entitled to purchase a designated amount of food utilizing their cards based on net income and household size. Benefits are generally available in an EBT account within 30 days from the date an application was filed. Expedited food stamps are available within seven days for people who are in an emergency situation and whose income and spendable resources for that month are within specified limits.
  • Formula/Baby Food (9)
    BD-1800.8200-250

    Formula/Baby Food

    BD-1800.8200-250

    Programs that supply infant formula and/or baby food, usually in addition to other groceries.
  • Home Delivered Meals (5)
    BD-5000.3500

    Home Delivered Meals

    BD-5000.3500

    Programs that prepare and regularly deliver meals to older adults, people with disabilities and others who have difficulties shopping and/or preparing food for themselves or traveling to a site where a meal is being served.
  • Mobile Food Pantry Programs (1)
    BD-1800.5000

    Mobile Food Pantry Programs

    BD-1800.5000

    Programs sponsored in many communities by local food banks that distribute directly to clients who are unable to obtain adequate amounts of healthful food, particularly to people who live in low-income communities without reasonable access to a traditional food pantry as well as to college campuses where hunger among students is a growing problem. With the ability to travel, mobile food pantries can address food insecurity where it exists while finding homes for fresh, perishable food items including produce, grains, meat and dairy products before their shelf life expires and they go to waste. Mobile pantry agencies (generally churches or local nonprofits) may borrow an available parking lot, (e.g., a school's lot after hours), and after scheduling a mobile pantry distribution with their sponsoring food bank, they can leaflet the neighborhood or take other steps to announce to potential clients when and where the distribution will take place. When the truck carrying the food arrives, the host group's volunteers set up tables and load them with food. Clients may fill out short questionnaires or go through brief interviews, then walk around the truck like they would at a farmer's market and select the food they want to take home. When all of the clients have left, the volunteers load any leftovers back in the truck, leaving the parking lot as clean as it was when they arrived.
  • Nutrition Education (11)
    LH-2700.6000

    Nutrition Education

    LH-2700.6000

    Programs that provide information concerning the basic principles of healthful eating, food handling, food preparation and shopping skills. Included is information about the basic food groups, vitamin and mineral requirements, the relationship of nutrition to the preservation of good health and the prevention of illness, and dietary choices such as vegetarianism.
  • Packed Lunches/Dinners (3)
    BD-1800.6400

    Packed Lunches/Dinners

    BD-1800.6400

    Programs that provide fresh or frozen lunches or dinners which are packed in portable containers and typically picked up and eaten elsewhere. Clients may include people who are homeless or low income, have a disability or illness or meet other eligibility criteria.
  • Post Disaster Food Services (3)
    TH-2600.6450

    Post Disaster Food Services

    TH-2600.6450

    Programs that meet the basic nutritional needs of relief workers and/or individuals and families whose homes have been made uninhabitable by a disaster or large scale emergency and who have no other means of purchasing food and/or preparing a meal. Food assistance may also available to individuals who have experienced a localized incident such as a house fire.
  • School Lunches/Snacks (1)
    BD-5000.8200

    School Lunches/Snacks

    BD-5000.8200

    A program that provides supplementary nutrition in the form of a free or reduced-cost meal at noon time for school children. The program is federally-funded and is available to income-eligible students who are unable to pay the full cost. Public and private, nonprofit schools participating in the program are reimbursed for the lunches served.
  • Soup Kitchens (6)
    BD-5000.8300

    Soup Kitchens

    BD-5000.8300

    Programs offered by churches, restaurants and other organizations that provide meals in a central location for people who lack the resources needed to buy and prepare food. The food may be distributed to people who line up for the meal or may be served to people seated in a dining hall setting, and participants rarely need to establish eligibility for the service.
  • WIC (11)
    NL-6000.9500

    WIC

    NL-6000.9500

    A public health nutrition program administered by the USDA Food and Nutrition Service that provides nutrition education, nutritious foods, breastfeeding support and health care referrals for income-eligible pregnant or postpartum women, infants and children up to age five. Foster parents, grandparents, guardians and single fathers who have custody of their children may also be eligible to receive food assistance for children up to age five if they meet income guidelines. WIC provides specific foods to supplement the dietary needs of participants to ensure good health and development. Food packages typically include iron-fortified infant cereal, milk, cheese, eggs, whole grains, peanut butter, beans, fruits, vegetables and juice. Families can shop for WIC foods at most grocery stores using a WIC electronic transfer benefit (EBT) card or vouchers.