Getting food on the table is feeling harder and harder for a lot of households in America. Lots of people remember the memes about how eggs were costing an arm and a leg (heck, maybe even a mansion too!). While it can be entertaining to see jokes about how expensive everything is, dealing with it day-to-day isn’t so fun. When a household is dealing with tough times financially, it’s easy to get overwhelmed. When people are overwhelmed, they often overlook important things. This can include free ways that people can get food. Yes, you read that right. There are numerous ways to get free food in your home!

How to Get Free Food

While free food may sound too good to be true, it’s really not. There are a bunch of different opportunities out there that can help people get food for no cost. Now, not every opportunity will be a good fit for each person. That’s why it’s important to know of different ways out there! You can break it up into four types of free food opportunities:

• Government Programs
• Non-Profit Organizations
• Birthday Freebies 
• Family/Friends

Government Programs

Across America, there are over hundreds, if not thousands, of support opportunities. You want to keep in mind that there is government support at the local, state, and federal level. That means even if a nationwide opportunity doesn’t seem like a good fit, you want to check out options in the state you live in. Besides your state, you will also want to check within your locality! A couple of federal assistance programs that can provide free food include:

• Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)
• Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP)

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)

This program, also known as ‘food stamps’, provides monthly funds to eligible households to help cover grocery costs. SNAP is easy to use. Once approved, you’ll be issued an EBT card that works similar to a debit card. This card can be used at participating retailers such as supermarkets, convenience stores, and even some farmer’s markets. The amount that you can get varies depending on the household. However, some households can get over $1,000 a month! That means that every month, a household will get their free money to buy groceries. 

Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP)

The Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP) is a vital initiative that helps improve the health of low-income seniors aged 60 and above. This program provides eligible individuals with nutritious USDA foods to supplement their diets. It’s important to note that while beneficial, these packages are not intended as a complete dietary solution but rather provide essential nutrients often missed out from regular meals. The foods that seniors could see include:

• Canned meat and poultry
• Grains such as rice and pasta
• Dairy products like cheese
• Fruits and vegetables in various forms

Non-Profit Organizations

While government programs can be a great help, they may not be a good fit for everyone. Thankfully, there are a variety of opportunities available at the local level. This includes non-profit organizations. The exact organization that can help you will depend on where you live. However, there are tools online that can help connect you to sources of free food! You can look for local food banks that serve your community and try to benefit that way. 

Birthday Freebies

Now for a common way to get free food. Unfortunately, it won’t be able to help year round. However, for the month of your birthday you will have a lot of opportunities to get free food from a variety of restaurants! Some restaurants allow you to claim your birthday freebie any day of your birthday month, while others have specific timeframes. The list goes on, and the way to get the free food will depend on the restaurant. However some places that can provide free food include: 

• Denny’s
• Dunkin’ 
• Jersey Mike’s
• Auntie Anne’s Pretzels 
• Buffalo Wild Wings 
• Hooters
• Baskin Robbins

Denny’s

Start your day off right with some Denny’s. On your actual birthday you can get a free grand slam breakfast. 

Dunkin’

Wrap up your breakfast with a nice cup of coffee from Dunkin’. You can get a free birthday drink on your birthday as long as you are a perks member!

Jersey Mike’s

Now it’s lunch time and you’re hungry again. No problem, because you can get a sub and a drink from Jersey Mike’s. 

Auntie Anne’s

Waiting for dinner but still feeling kind of hungry? You can get a free pretzel from Auntie Anne’s to hold you over until your next free food opportunity!

Buffalo Wild Wings

It’s dinnertime! You can kick it off with a free snack size wing from Buffalo Wild Wings. You can choose your flavor and they have a lot of options to pick from!

Hooters

Still hungry even after Buffalo Wild Wings? Well, you’re in luck! You can keep the wing-train going if you stop by hooters. You can get a free 10-piece wing! 

Baskin Robbins

Now it’s time to end the day with a nice dessert. You can get a free scoop of ice cream from Baskin Robbins. With plenty of flavors to choose from, you have a good chance of finding one you like! 

Family/Friends

When all else fails, you may benefit from reaching out to family or friends. During tough times, it’s not uncommon to need a little extra support. Your network of loved ones may be able to be that support. Obviously, the setup will depend on factors like how close you are, how much food you need, etc. However, the people in your life that care about you, usually won’t have a problem trying to help where possible! 

Bottom Line

When it comes to getting free food, there are plenty of ways to do it! Whether you want to try to get assistance from a government program, or check out local support, you have options to consider. Besides that, you may also be able to get free food thanks to birthday freebies on your special day! Some restaurants even allow you to claim your freebie at some point during the entire month. Regardless, if all else fails, you can turn to asking family and friends. They may be able to provide support to you during your time of need.