Mammoth AwardsIf you’re like most, here’s what’s probably on your mind right now:
- Staying safe by quarantining and wearing a mask.
- Figuring out how to pay your bills.
- Wondering how you’ll keep buying food when your funds get low.
All of those are essential worries, but since we are human, the last one may be the most important for survival.
How can you survive if you can barely buy food due to a lack of work and income? By getting food assistance from the government, which is much better than having to scrounge up extra cash, buy canned goods, and starve yourself until things get back to normal.
How can you find food assistance from the government? By heading to USA.gov and seeing all of the benefits it could potentially offer you and your family.
USA.gov’s Food Assistance Options
A quick trip to USA.gov’s home page makes it rather evident that this is a humongous website filled with money-saving resources. For the purpose of this article, though, we’ll take a closer look at its food assistance section.
Here are the various ways to get food assistance during COVID-19 from this one page:
1. Immediate Food Aid
What can you do when your family is hungry now, and the refrigerator is empty? Besides asking a neighbor or family member for some extra food, you can call the USDA National Hunger Hotline by dialing 1-866-3-HUNGRY on your phone.
From 7 am to 10 pm, Monday through Friday, you can get information in English or Spanish on how to find food assistance quickly.
Calling the National Hunger Hotline isn’t the only way to get immediate food aid, though, as you can also dial 211 to see if there are any community or religious organizations in your city that can help.
2. Food Stamps
You’ve probably heard of these before, but if you’ve never applied for food stamps, USA.gov’s food assistance page will help you do so.
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is the more formal name for this benefit, which can give you a bigger food budget when times get tough.
Should you qualify, you could get funds deposited on a card that can be used at participating stores. Swipe it, and you can get the food you need even if your bank account is depleted due to COVID-19.
3. WIC
The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) can help you fill your kitchen with healthy food. As its name suggests, this program specifically helps women and younger children.
It’s worth noting that the government has eased restrictions and made getting SNAP and WIC benefits easier due to the coronavirus outbreak. Applying for these programs may be simpler, and you may enjoy more lucrative benefits than before.
4. Food Schoolkids and Senior Citizens
Kids can get school meals even if they’re not attending in-person classes due to COVID-19. Seniors may qualify for free food as well. You can find out more about food assistance for either unique situation by looking near the bottom of the USA.gov food assistance page.
