Alabama Food Assistance

Food Stamps * Food Banks * Food Pantries * Soup Kitchens * WIC
School Meals * Special Milk * Summer Food * Senior Nutrition

In the State of Alabama, there are many sources for help with food. Alabama Food Assistance program, food banks, food pantries, and soup kitchens are all helping residents in need to cope with hunger and food insecurity.

Food Stamps in Alabama

This program is designed to raise the nutritional level of low income households. It enables low-income families to buy nutritious food through Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) cards.

You must apply to find out if you qualify for food stamps in the State of Alabama. If approved, you will start getting food stamps a.k.a. Alabama food assistance benefits on a monthly basis.

The monthly food assistance benefits are called allotments and are deposited in dollars into the Electronic Benefits Card (EBT) accounts of each beneficiary.

This is done each month on a certain date following the Benefits Issuance Schedule.

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Learn more about

SNAP benefits a.k.a. Food Stamps.

Who is eligible for SNAP benefits (Food Stamps) in Alabama?

How to apply for Alabama Food Assistance?

How does Alabama Food Assistance Office determine eligibility?

Approved! When and how do I get the Food Stamps benefits?

How much Food Stamps benefits do participants receive per month?

How and where to use Food Stamps Benefits?

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) in Alabama

A cornerstone in Alabama food assistance is the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) run by the State of Alabama Food Assistance Division.

The SNAP in Alabama is known as the Alabama Food Assistance Program that provides the Food Stamp benefits to all eligible Alabamians.

The Alabama Food Assistance Program is part and funded by the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

The SNAP, or the Food Stamps Program as it is known by the public, is a federal program that provides government grants to the States for the purpose of reducing hunger and malnutrition in all eligible households across the nation.

It is important to know that the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program is a federal entitlement program funded by U.S. Government grants.

Any U.S. Citizen, even some legal alien residents, will get free food assistance as long as they meet the SNAP eligibility guidelines.

In other words, there is enough Supplemental Nutrition Assistance for every American that qualifies.

In Alabama, the SNAP is administered by the Alabama Food Assistance Division as The Alabama Food Assistance Program.

The Food Assistance Division is part of the Alabama Department of Human Resources (DHR) and has local DHR offices in all Alabama counties.

The Alabama Food Assistance Program provides monthly food assistance benefits to eligible low-income households to help them buy the food they need for good nutrition and health.

The number of Food Stamp (SNAP) Benefits Recipients in Alabama depends mostly on the current state of the economy and the SNAP eligibility rules managed by the state.

You must apply to find out if you qualify for food stamps in the State of Alabama. If approved, you will start getting food stamps a.k.a. Alabama food assistance benefits on a monthly basis.

The monthly food assistance benefits are called allotments and are deposited in dollars into the Electronic Benefit Card (EBT) accounts of each beneficiary.

This is done each month on a certain date following the Benefits Issuance Schedule.

Alabama Food Assistance benefits help needy Alabamians buy the food they need for good health.

Each EBT account comes with a bank debit card that can be used at any of the Alabama Food Stamps Approved grocery stores.

Food Banks in Alabama

Alabama is home to four Feeding America food banks and four Feeding America Partner Distribution Organizations, that together serve all 67 counties. Source: Alabama Food Bank Association

Alabama food banks play an important role in the overall effort to end hunger and food insecurity throughout the State.

Their main objective is to collect food from various sources like wholesale organizations, grocery stores, and farms who have food in excess and are willing to donate.

Food banks then sort store and distribute donated food to local soup kitchens, shelters, and food pantries.

The Food Bank Association of Alabama is such a non-profit organization that works to alleviate hunger in Alabama.

Food Pantries in Alabama

There more than 400 Food Pantries in the State of Alabama.

Food pantries offer food directly to people that need it and who have the means to cook it. They usually receive food from local food banks and in turn distribute it to low-income individuals and households at no cost.

Food pantries are typically located in facilities where received food can be stored and handled in a safe and sanitary manner.

Each food pantry serves a designated local area, and most of them require prior registration and approval before food can be distributed to a particular individual or a family. Find a Food Pantry near you. Call: 888-421-1266

Soup Kitchens in Alabama

Soup kitchens serve free cooked meals on-site.

Soup kitchens serve cooked meals on-site to needy people at no cost. Like food pantries, they normally receive their food from local food banks.

Soup kitchens take care mostly of homeless people and people who do not have the means to cook for themselves.

They require storage, cleaning, and cooking equipment as they have to do food preparation, serving, and cleaning after the meals.

Food pantries are typically located in facilities where received food can be stored and handled in a safe and sanitary manner.

Each food pantry serves a designated local area, and most of them require prior registration and approval before food can be served to a particular individual or a family.

WIC Program in Alabama

Alabama Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) provides healthy foods, breastfeeding support, nutrition education, health care referrals to Alabamians’ pregnant women, new mothers, infants and young children during times of important growth.

Alabama Women, Infants, and Children Program

School Meals in Alabama

Schools meals in Alabama are offered mainly through National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program. The Alabama school meals programs make nutritionally balanced, low-cost or free meals available to school children each school day in the year.

School meals nutritional standards are based on the recommendation from the Institute of Medicine and U.S. Government and teachers have reported that students perform better in class if they get regular meals. Children getting school breakfast also had significantly reduced absence and tardiness rates, according to a Tufts University study.

Alabama School Lunch Program | Alabama School Breakfast Program

Special Milk Program in Alabama

Alabama Special Milk Program offers milk to children in schools, childcare institutions, and eligible camps. Any child in a school or institution that participates in the Special Milk Program can get milk. Schools may elect to offer free milk to low-income children. To qualify for Alabama Special Milk, the child must be a resident of the State of Alabama.

Alabama Special Milk Program

Summer Food Program in Alabama

Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) provides free meals and snacks to help low-income Alabama children get nutritious meals in the summer time.  The SFSP is a federal program that provides grants to local sponsors who want to combine a food service with a summer activity program.

The funding provided by SFSP ensures that Alabama children in low-income areas continue to receive nutritious meals during long school vacations when they do not have access to school lunch or breakfast.

Alabama Summer Food Service Program

Senior Nutrition in Alabama

Alabama Senior Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program (SFMNP) provides low-income seniors with special checks to buy fresh, nutritious fruits, vegetables, and herbs from authorized farmers’ markets. To qualify for Alabama senior nutrition special checks, the applicants must be 60 years of age or older and their gross household income must not exceed certain limits.

An application must be completed for each person in the household that wants to apply for the SFMNP benefits.  Once approved, each beneficiary must reapply every year to continue participating in the Alabama Senior Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program. Learn more about how senior nutrition program works.

Alabama Senior Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program

Sources: State Agencies, FNS, USDA