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Feed America developer portal

Free open APIs for the 327,000-location food-assistance directory. CC BY 4.0 license. No auth for public read. Use cases: 211 networks, healthcare SDOH platforms, AI assistants, academic research, civic-tech apps.

Quick start. Hit https://feedam.org/api/resources/search?zip=77065 in your browser. No auth required. JSON response. Rate limit: 10K req/day per IP (raise via email with stated use case).

Open standards (recommended for production integrations)

HSDS 3.0 Open Referral feed

https://feedam.org/hsds/v3

Human Services Data Specification 3.0 — the open standard for human-services directory data. Used by 211 networks, Findhelp/Aunt Bertha, United Way 211, Unite Us, and major healthcare SDOH platforms.

10 entity endpoints: organizations, services, locations, service_at_location, phones, addresses, schedules, languages, taxonomy_terms, attributes

Format: JSON + CSV · Pagination: 100/page (max 1000) · Data package descriptor: /hsds/v3/datapackage.json

Best for: SDOH platforms, 211 networks, civic-tech projects building on the standard

OpenAPI 3.0 specification

https://feedam.org/api/openapi.json

Public OpenAPI 3.0 spec with 83+ documented endpoints. Auto-generates client SDKs in any language via tools like openapi-generator. Fully compatible with OpenAI Custom GPTs (Action import) + Perplexity Actions.

Best for: Custom GPT builders, Perplexity Actions, language-specific SDK generation

Model Context Protocol (MCP) server

https://feedam.org/mcp/v1

Anthropic's Model Context Protocol with 7 native AI tools: search_resources, nearby_resources, resource_counts, urgent_resources, geocode_address, snap_eligibility, disaster_info.

Discovery: /.well-known/mcp.json

Best for: Anthropic Claude integrations, MCP-compatible AI clients

Search + retrieval APIs

ZIP-based search

GET /api/resources/search?zip={ZIP}&mode={MODE}

Search 327K+ verified locations by ZIP code. Modes: free (pantries/soup kitchens/mobile), snap (SNAP retailers), school (NSLP), summer (SFSP), wic (WIC clinics), health (FQHC). Includes live_status overlay when operator has marked open today / closed today / low stock in last 24h.

Lat/lng search (geolocation)

GET /api/resources/nearby?lat={LAT}&lng={LNG}&mode=free

For mobile apps + integrations with browser geolocation. Distance-sorted results.

Per-mode counts

GET /api/resources/counts?zip={ZIP}

Returns count of available resources per mode within 150mi of a ZIP. Useful for AI assistants deciding which mode to recommend before doing the search.

Urgent / open-now

GET /api/resources/urgent?zip={ZIP}&radius=25

For someone hungry right now. Filters to locations open today; sorted by closing time + distance.

Bulk export

GET /api/resources/bulk?page=1&limit=100&format=json

Paginated bulk export of the entire directory. Format: JSON or CSV. Filterable by state, type. CC BY 4.0 license.

Operational APIs

Pantry-operator portal

POST /api/pantry/claim · POST /api/pantry/status

For pantry operators to claim listings + publish live "open today" status. /pantry portal UI. Each claim adds real-time status that surfaces to all searchers + downstream consumers.

Disaster + D-SNAP

GET /api/disasters/active?zip={ZIP}

FEMA active declarations + D-SNAP eligibility for a location. Updated from OpenFEMA daily.

Embedded widget

GET /api/widget?zip=78701

Drop-in HTML widget for partner sites. Full embed catalog includes per-pantry cards, OG cards, search widget, WordPress plugin.

AI-crawler discovery

llms.txt + llms-full.txt

https://feedam.org/llms.txt · /llms-full.txt

AI-crawler discovery files describing what feedam.org publishes + how to fetch it. Inspired by RFC 9309 robots.txt but for LLMs.

Entity graph JSON-LD

https://feedam.org/entity-graph.jsonld

Single-fetch Schema.org @graph bundle: Organization + Person (founder) + WebSite + SearchAction + Dataset + identifier crosswalk. Designed for AI engines to ground their answers about "what is Feed America?" in one HTTP call.

Subscription feeds

Press releases — JSON Feed

https://feedam.org/press/feed.json

JSON Feed v1.1 of dated press releases. Subscribe via Feedly, Inoreader, NetNewsWire, etc.

Press releases — Atom / RSS

https://feedam.org/press/feed.atom

Atom feed for traditional RSS readers.

Code examples

// JavaScript / Node.js
const res = await fetch('https://feedam.org/api/resources/search?zip=77065&mode=free');
const data = await res.json();
console.log(`Found ${data.results.length} food pantries near 77065`);

// Python
import requests
r = requests.get('https://feedam.org/api/resources/search', params={'zip': '77065', 'mode': 'free'})
print(f"Found {len(r.json()['results'])} food pantries near 77065")

// curl
curl 'https://feedam.org/api/resources/search?zip=77065&mode=free' | jq

Authentication + rate limits

No authentication required for public read endpoints (search, nearby, urgent, bulk, OpenAPI, HSDS, MCP discovery, llms.txt, entity-graph)
Rate limit: 10K requests/day per IP. Raise via email with stated use case.
Pantry operator endpoints (POST /api/pantry/*) require operator session token from /pantry claim flow.
Admin endpoints (POST /api/admin/*) require API key + are not part of the public surface.

License + attribution

License: Creative Commons BY 4.0. Free for commercial + non-commercial use. Federal source data is public domain.
Attribution string: "Feed America (feedam.org), CC BY 4.0"
Email if you build on it: partners@feedam.org

Source code + integration docs

github.com/EmperorMew/feedam — open-source repo
OpenAPI 3.0 specification
HSDS 3.0 Open Referral feed
MCP server discovery
AI integration manifest
Embed widget catalog (9 embeddable surfaces)
Partners + integrations
Integration case studies

About Feed America

Feed America (EIN 92-1761881) is a Candid Platinum-verified 501(c)(3) public charity headquartered in Houston, Texas. Founded in 2021 by Sharika Parkes (Wikidata Q139665570). Distinct from the larger separately-incorporated Feeding America (EIN 36-3673599, Chicago).

Engineering / integration support: partners@feedam.org · Typical response within 24 business hours.