Find Free Food and Groceries (2024)

FAQs

How to get free food in New Jersey? ›

The State of New Jersey programs that benefit from Food Distribution are the National School Lunch Program (NSLP), School Breakfast Program (SBP), The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP), Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP), and Summer Food Service Program (SFSP).

To get help on food and other needs, call 211 or (800) 339-6993 or visit the website here. Food Oasis LA is a free food directory connecting people needing food to nearby food pantries and meals. Click here. DPSS has a new website for Los Angeles County residents to apply for benefits at BenefitsCal.com.

Your local food bank can help you find food today, even if you need temporary help. They partner with food pantries, soup kitchens, and meal programs in your local community to give away free food. Enter your zip code to find the food bank partnering with Feeding America.

The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) is a federal program that helps supplement the diets of people with low income by providing them with emergency food assistance at no cost. USDA provides 100% American-grown USDA Foods and administrative funds to states to operate TEFAP.

New Jersey's Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, NJ SNAP, provides food assistance to families with low incomes to help them buy groceries through a benefits card accepted in most food retail stores and some farmers markets. Eligibility is set by several factors, such as income and resources.

Anyone who needs extra help affording food can visit a food pantry or meal program. Some pantries or programs may have additional requirements, like living in a certain area.

Where can I get free fruits? ›

Buy local produce

Because it is locally grown, you get the benefit of fresher, more nutritious food. If you've ever had a garden or know someone who has one, think about how fresh the crops taste compared to store-bought produce. Although local food is not necessarily grown organically, it can be a better choice.

Rutgers Against Hunger works in partnership with the New Jersey Federation of Food Banks to assist those in need. The New Jersey Federation of Food Banks provides goods and services to over 1,500 pantries statewide each year.

Sharing food with communities

Network food banks collect, sort and distribute these donations to local food pantries and meal programs. Food pantries and meal programs in the network then distribute the food directly to people in their communities.

Getting started in New Jersey

New Jersey cottage food producers must register on the state health department's website, pay $100 for a two-year permit, obtain a food protection manager certificate, and provide a copy of the most recent water bill for the location of the cottage food kitchen.

Thanks to a law passed last month, 60,000 more students will have access to free breakfast and lunch at school next school year. The new law expands eligibility to families whose household income is up to 224% of the federal poverty level.

In 2022, another bill signed by Murphy raised the eligibility level for free school meals from an income of 185% of the federal poverty level to 199%, which expanded the program to 26,000 more students. And in 2019, Murphy signed legislation eliminating copays for students qualifying for reduced-price meals.

If you need immediate food assistance, CFBNJ has over 800 community partners across the state of New Jersey. Find a food pantry near you today. If you think it's time to submit a SNAP application, contact the CFBNJ Resource Access Team at 908-838-4831.

Prospective clients are interviewed to determine their need and eligibility for Meals on Wheels. The eligibility is based on age, inability to prepare meals for yourself or have family or other support systems available to do it for you. Meals are delivered Monday through Friday between 9 AM to 3 PM.