A guide to your options
Food & groceries
Start with how soon you need food and who is in your household. Emergency groceries, ongoing food benefits, and school meals have different application routes. These guides explain those routes without assuming you already receive assistance.
Find your next step
8 guidesCan College Students Get SNAP? Rules and How to Apply
Check SNAP's college-student exemptions, work-study and meal-plan rules, and the records to prepare before applying through your state agency.
Expedited SNAP: Getting Food Benefits When Money Runs Out
Learn when SNAP applications qualify for faster processing, what to tell the state agency, and how to find food while your application is pending.
Free and Reduced-Price School Meals: How to Apply
Find your district's school-meal application, check direct certification and income rules, and learn what to do when household circumstances change.
Senior Meal Programs: Home Delivery and Community Meals
Find senior meal delivery or community meals through your local aging agency, and check eligibility, service availability, and dietary arrangements.
TEFAP Food Pantries: How to Find Emergency Groceries
Find emergency groceries through TEFAP and local food providers, understand intake rules, and check what to ask before visiting a distribution site.
SUN Bucks California 2026: 120 Per Child
SUN Bucks is California’s name for Summer EBT, a federal program that puts grocery money on a card for school-age kids during the months school is closed.
CalFresh 2026: Income Limits, Benefit Amounts & How to Apply in California
CalFresh 2026 income limits, benefit amounts (up to $994 for a family of 4), and how to apply in California. Plus the discounts CalFresh unlocks.
WIC California 2026: Who Qualifies, Benefits & How to Apply
California WIC 2026: who qualifies (pregnant, new parents, kids under 5), 185% FPL income limit, the eWIC food benefits, and how to apply. On Medi-Cal? You qualify.