If you or anyone you know is in need, help is available through a number of channels:

 

Please call 2-1-1, a service of United Way of the Bay Area, to find a grocery distribution or hot meal provider in your neighborhood. United Way's 2-1-1 call center is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week in more than 150 languages. 

The Free Eats Chart and Free Pantry Chart list specific meal programs and food pantries throughout the city. 

 

Emergency Food Boxes are a three-day supply of food for people in immediate crisis. Because the boxes are an emergency supply, each recipient can receive the box once in any one-year span.*

If you have a city social worker, please request your Emergency Food Box through him/her.
If you do not have a city social worker, please call 2-1-1 for a referral to the nearest open pick-up location.

Please note:

• You do not need an appointment to receive an Emergency Food Box
• The SF Food Bank doesn't provide Emergency Food Boxes directly. Please call 2-1-1 to locate a pick-up spot near you.
  
• At the pick-up site, you will be asked only for your name, address (if applicable), how many people you live with, and your signature.
  

*For ongoing help with food, please call 2-1-1, visit 211bayarea.org or use the Free Pantry Chart to find a pantry near you.

 

Visit benefitssf.org to determine your eligibility for Food Stamps, WIC, Medi-CAL and various tax credits. You can also complete the first step of your Food Stamp/Medi-CAL application on this site. Available in English, Spanish and Chinese.

 

You may be eligible for Food Stamps* if you are:
- a U.S. citizen
- a permanent resident or have a specific type of visa
- a U.S.-born child, regardless of where your parents were born
- not currently receiving SSI/SSP benefits

To find out if you qualify and get help with your application, please contact Liliana Sandoval, Benefits Outreach Coordinator by email or at 415 282 1907 x340.

* Now known as CalFresh in California.

 

Download guides to help find free food, shelter, medical aid and help with neighborhood problems in San Francisco.

The Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP) is a federal program that provides a monthly box of nutritious USDA food to low-income seniors, mothers and children.
Access a calendar of CSFP food distribution sites (pdf).

 

In accordance with Federal law and U.S. Department of Agriculture policy, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, or disability.

To file a complaint of discrimination, write USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, D.C. 20250-9410 or call toll free (866) 632-9992 (Voice). TDD users can contact USDA through local relay or the Federal Relay at (800) 877-8339 (TDD) or (866) 377-8642 (relay voice users). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.