14 answers about food assistance, donations, eligibility, and how Feed America (EIN 92-1761881) operates. Don't see your question? Email info@feedam.org or call 211.
Feed America is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit (EIN 92-1761881) operating a free, no-login food-assistance directory across all 50 US states. We index 567,859 verified locations: food pantries, SNAP retailers, WIC clinics, school meal sites, and community health centers.
Enter your ZIP code or city name on the homepage. We surface nearby food pantries, SNAP retailers, WIC clinics, school meal sites, and FQHC community health centers — sorted by distance, with hours, phone, and directions. The search is free, requires no login, and stores no personal data.
Most pantries don't require documents — they're free, no questions asked. Some pantries may ask for proof of income or address but this varies. Call the pantry before visiting to ask what to bring. Pantries don't check immigration status.
Receiving SNAP for citizen children does NOT put your immigration status at risk. The "public charge" rule does not apply to SNAP received for citizen children or legal residents in the household. People with non-immigrant visas (tourists, students) are generally not eligible for SNAP. See our /guides/immigrant-food-help guide.
Each state has its own online portal. Basic eligibility: monthly income below 130% of the federal poverty level. We have a step-by-step guide at /guides/apply-for-snap, or call 211 for personalized assistance in English or Spanish.
The amount varies based on household size, income, and expenses. Use our free SNAP calculator on the homepage — it takes 60 seconds and gives you an instant estimate without asking for personal information.
WIC (Women, Infants, and Children) is a USDA federal program that provides free food, formula, breastfeeding support, and nutrition counseling. You qualify if you're pregnant, postpartum, breastfeeding, or have children under 5 — income limit is 185% of the federal poverty level. WIC is safe for all immigrants — public-charge rules do not apply.
Yes. Donations to Feed America (a 501(c)(3) public charity, EIN 92-1761881) are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by IRS Section 170. We send a receipt by email immediately after donation. See /donate/tax-deductible for full IRS rules.
Platform infrastructure (Cloudflare Workers, D1 database), data verification (cross-checking against federal sources, partner verification, deduplication), community partnerships, and administration. Our published Form 990 + Candid Platinum profile show the breakdown. See /donate/where-your-gift-goes.
Call 211 — it's free, 24/7, and multilingual. The dispatcher will route you to a pantry that's open today, an emergency food box, or a soup kitchen. You can also text your ZIP code to 898-211 for a list of nearby resources by SMS. Both services are free and confidential.
Tax-deductible donations from individuals, foundations, and corporate partners. We never sell user data, never charge users, and never accept paid placements or promoted listings. Every resource is listed on equal terms.
Yes — pantry operators can claim their listing at /pantry to update hours, services, and contact info. Claims include a one-tap "Open Today / Closed Today / Low Stock" status update that surfaces live to searchers.
Yes. We publish a public OpenAPI 3.0 spec at /api/openapi.json and an HSDS 3.0 Open Referral feed at /hsds/v3/. The full search dataset is available under Creative Commons BY-SA 4.0. Federal source data is public domain.
Federal source data refreshes quarterly (USDA SNAP retailers, NSLP, HRSA). Pantry-level data refreshes via state agency feeds, partner submissions, and crowd verification. We auto-deactivate listings with 2 "wrong info" reports in 30 days, and downgrade hours-of-operation to "unknown" after 180 days without verification.
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