Food assistance for families (WIC, SNAP): an overview

Step 1 — If you need food today

• Call 211. Local specialists can help you find a food pantry, free food delivery or help paying for food (211 — Food Programs). They are available 24/7, and calls are confidential and can be anonymous (211 — About). More: who to call in the U.S.
• Call the USDA National Hunger Hotline at 1-866-3-HUNGRY (1-866-348-6479), Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Eastern Time, to find meal sites and food banks near you, or text a question with a keyword like “food” to 914-342-7744 (USDA — National Hunger Hotline). In Spanish: 1-877-8-HAMBRE (1-877-842-6273) (USA.gov).
• Visit a food pantry or soup kitchen. Through TEFAP, USDA food reaches local agencies, usually food banks, which supply soup kitchens and food pantries. Taking TEFAP food home from a pantry depends on your household income, with limits set by each state; group meals, like those at a soup kitchen, have no income test (USDA — TEFAP). Community and religious organizations can also point you to a local pantry (USA.gov).

Step 2 — See which programs fit your family

The programs connect. If you or your children get Medicaid, SNAP or TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families), you may already meet WIC’s income rule (USDA — WIC Eligibility). If you get SNAP, all your children who attend school automatically qualify for free school meals (USDA — School lunch for families). USA.gov’s food assistance page links to each program.

Step 3 — Pregnant or have a child under 5? Look at WIC

WIC (the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children) provides healthy foods, nutrition education, breastfeeding support and referrals to other services. Moms, dads, foster parents and anyone raising kids under 5 can apply for the children in their care (USDA — WIC).

To qualify, you must meet income guidelines (at or below 185% of the U.S. poverty guidelines; states may set lower limits) and a state residency requirement, and a health professional must find a “nutritional risk” in a free health check (USDA — WIC FAQs).

To apply, contact a WIC agency in your area by phone or online. It will schedule an in-person or virtual appointment and tell you what to bring. This may include (USDA — How to Apply for WIC):

• each person who will enroll, including babies;
• ID for each person, such as a passport, birth certificate, state ID, or school or employer ID;
• proof of address, such as a recent bill;
• proof of SNAP, Medicaid or TANF, or proof of income, such as recent paychecks.

More on WIC in pregnancy: having a baby in the U.S.. Child care and Head Start: first steps for families.

Step 4 — Ask about school meals when you enroll

When you enroll your child in school, ask for a meal application. You can apply at the start of the school year or any time your situation changes. Children may qualify if your household meets income guidelines or gets SNAP, TANF or WIC, among other ways (USA.gov — School meals).

• Immigration status. Federal law says a child who can get free public education can’t be made ineligible for school lunch or breakfast because of citizenship or immigration status (Federal Register — USDA notice, July 10, 2025). USDA tells schools that immigration status is not a condition for free and reduced-price meals, and that they may not ask applicants about citizenship (USDA — Eligibility Manual for School Meals).
• No Social Security number? The form asks for the last four digits of an adult’s number, or lets you show that the adult signing doesn’t have one (USDA — Eligibility Manual).
• Free for all students at some high-poverty schools, without applications, under the Community Eligibility Provision (USDA — CEP).
• Summer: free meals and snacks for kids 18 and under, and, in participating areas, $120 in Summer EBT grocery benefits per eligible child (USDA — Summer programs).

Step 5 — Check SNAP’s rules for non-citizens

SNAP (the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) puts money for food on an Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) card each month, which works like a debit card (USDA — SNAP Eligibility).

A federal law signed on July 4, 2025, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, changed which non-citizens can get SNAP (USDA — memo). USDA’s public pages on this are still being updated (USDA — SNAP for Non-Citizens). The clearest official wording is in USDA’s guidance to state agencies:

• Memo of October 31, 2025: the law limits SNAP to U.S. citizens, U.S. nationals, lawful permanent residents (green card holders), Cuban and Haitian entrants, and citizens of the Compact of Free Association countries (Micronesia, the Marshall Islands and Palau). Green card holders generally still have a 5-year waiting period, with exceptions such as children under 18. Everyone must also meet the other SNAP rules, like income limits (USDA — memo).
• Questions and answers of December 9, 2025: people granted asylum and refugees, including children, are no longer eligible for SNAP through that status. Refugees and asylees who later get a green card don’t have to wait 5 years (USDA — Q&A).

Mixed-status families. If some members of a household can’t get SNAP, the state must still decide eligibility for the other members who are asking for help (USDA — SNAP Eligibility). Ask your state office how it counts household members who don’t apply.

Only your state SNAP office decides who in your family qualifies. For how your status fits these rules, talk to an authorized legal helper or, if you came as a refugee or asylee, your resettlement caseworker.

Some immigrants wonder whether using benefits could affect their immigration case. The “public charge” rules changed in 2026 (USCIS) and may be challenged or change again, so talk to an authorized legal help provider before you decide.

Step 6 — Apply for SNAP through your state

You apply in the state where you live, and each state has its own form and process (USDA — SNAP Eligibility). Find your state’s contacts and application in USDA’s SNAP State Directory. Depending on your state, you may apply online, in person, by mail or by fax (USA.gov — SNAP).

What to expect (USDA — SNAP Eligibility):

• an eligibility interview, usually by phone or in person, and proof of what you wrote; the office tells you which documents it needs;
• a decision within 30 days in most cases, or benefits within 7 days for some households with very little money;
• if you’re approved, benefits count from the date you applied;
• if you can’t go to the office, you can name someone in writing as your “authorized representative” to apply for you;
• if you disagree with a decision, you can ask for a “fair hearing” within 90 days.

For non-citizens in SNAP, the state must check immigration status with a federal system called SAVE before approval (USDA — memo). Some adults must also meet work requirements, which the 2025 law changed, and program information may be available in other languages (USDA — SNAP Eligibility). Ask your state office.

Step 7 — Keep your benefits safe and up to date

• Protect your EBT card. Avoid simple PINs like 1234, never share your PIN or card number outside your household, cover the keypad, and check your account for charges you don’t recognize. State agencies and EBT processors never call or text to ask for your PIN or card number (USDA — Stolen benefits).
• Act fast if benefits are stolen. Change your PIN and contact your local SNAP office. Federal money to replace stolen benefits covered only thefts through December 20, 2024 (USDA — Stolen benefits).
• Renew on time. Your notice says how long you’ll get SNAP, and before that period ends, you’ll be told to recertify (USDA — SNAP Eligibility).
• Follow the rules. Lying about income or identity, or selling benefits for cash, is fraud, with penalties that can include disqualification, fines or prison (USDA — SNAP Fraud Prevention).