Food Stamps Not Enough? Here’s How To Find Food Banks and Other Sources of Free Groceries in Your Area
Written by
Aja McClanahan
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It’s no secret that inflation has hit households especially hard in the area of food and groceries. If your food stamps aren’t buying as much as they used to, there are alternative sources to help you male ends meet. Here are some tips to get you started.
Local Food Pantries and Food Banks
Most major metropolitan areas and even small rural towns have some form of emergency food assistance to help local residents. You can search “your town or zipcode + food pantry” in Google to get a list of food pantries that may be nearby. If you don’t get great results online, try connecting with:
- Local churches
- The mayor’s office, local alderman’s office or community center such as a park district office
- Local health and human services office and ask about nearby emergency food assistance programs
The only consideration to be mindful of is availability. Some of these resources have very specific hours of operation, so make sure you get those details as you make your connections.
Get Costco Gift Cards for Old Electronics
If you’ve got access to any older yet functioning electronics that meet the eligibility criteria, you could receive Costco gift cards for giving them to the warehouse club operator.
There are minimum requirements and stipulations for the trade-in program, but it could be worth it to get food items in bulk if you’re truly in need. Costco’s Trade-Up program operates through a partner called Phobio and can be accessed through their website.
You should know that this process is not immediate and that you’ll need a Costco membership to shop and redeem your gift cards. If you don’t have an emergency on your hands and can afford a Costco membership, this could be a viable option to supplement your food budget.
Stop By Your Community Garden
Community gardens can be great sources of free fruits and vegetables. You can either sign up for a personal plot and, if available, be given resources like tools and seeds to cultivate your own crops.
Even if you don’t have the time or money to grow your own vegetables, most community gardens end up giving away tons of free food at the end of the growing season, aka harvest time!
Check Out Additional Ways to Get Free Groceries and Food
If you’ve got some time on your hands, there are plenty of options you can research to get free groceries and food through coupons, loyalty and rewards programs.
Most grocery stores and fast food restaurants have loyalty or rewards programs you can access via phone app, weekly circular or coupon booklet. You’ll often get notifications of sales, BOGO (buy-one-get-one-free) sales and other discounts. These places may also offer freebies on your birthday, too.
General discount apps like Ibotta and Fetch allow you to earn credits or points that can be redeemed for money or gift cards that you can redeem for food or groceries. Hopefully, these tips will help supplement your grocery and food budget. If you still need more help, check out more tips on side hustles and ways to save money to meet your food budget and other monthly expenses.
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