Pantries | Brown Bag Program | Free Meals | SNAP Benefits
Our Brown Bag:Food for Elders program provides a free bag of healthy groceries to eligible seniors once a month at local senior centers and community organizations. The food items are specifically selected to meet seniors’ special dietary requirements to help them stay healthy and active. Find locations on our website.
Find a food pantry or free meal during COVID-19 crisis. During the COVID-19 crisis, some members of The Food Bank have adjusted their hours or have decided to close. Please refer to the schedule on our website to find free meals or a food pantry. This schedule is updated frequently, so please check back regularly.
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (formerly Food Stamps) is the largest domestic hunger program in the country, offering nutrition assistance to millions of eligible individuals and families.
Benefits are distributed through an electronic benefit transfer (EBT) card, which works like a debit card at local grocery stores, convenience stores, and even some local farmers markets, farm stands and community supported agriculture (CSA – also known as “farm shares”). Look for the USDA “We Welcome SNAP Benefits” sign.
Our SNAP outreach team assists households in western Massachusetts to apply for the program. We screen individuals for eligibility and assist them throughout the SNAP application process, including gathering all of the necessary documentation to receive benefits.