Beyond SNAP Benefits: Ways to Fulfill Nutritional Requirements if Your Food Stamps Are Insufficient

A new research has revealed that SNAP benefits, formerly known as food stamps, are not covering the costs of modestly priced meals for the vast majority of recipients in the United States.

The analysis was conducted by the Urban Institute and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and found something extremely alarming: Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP benefits) are not enough to buy sufficient food to feed recipient families in 98% of the counties in the United States.

SNAP benefits are amounts deposited monthly through EBT cards to qualifying low-income families. It is not cash but rather electronic money that can be used only to buy basic foodstuffs to feed both the beneficiary who owns the card and their family members at home.

According to the study in the last quarter of 2023, there was a gap of 53 cents between the cost of $3.37 for a modestly priced meal and the maximum average SNAP benefit of $2.84: this represents a shortfall of 19%.

It was also confirmed that in the first three months of last year, food stamp benefits were $58.59 below monthly food costs, a discrepancy that had been reduced to $49.29 by the end of 2023.

Urban areas were the most affected where products are more expensive. In some counties, including New York, the inclusive percentage gap reached an outrageous 70%.

Senators Are Debating How to Improve Snap Benefits

All of this research arises in the middle of legislators’ debate over the new Agriculture, Food, and National Security Act of 2024, more commonly known as the Farm Bill.

Democrats want to make changes to the SNAP program, including eliminating the ban on drug offenders. If this elimination is approved, this population could access SNAP benefits. Democrats also seek to maintain the five-year revaluation of food benefits established in the 2018 farm law, something that Republicans view with doubts.

On the other hand, Republicans seek to lower the cost of financing the SNAP benefits program, which would seriously affect the income of beneficiary families, according to the Urban Institute. “This is a harmful measure under which the USDA cannot account for evidence on purchasing patterns, nutritional guidelines, and food preparation behaviors when updating benefit amounts. This would ensure SNAP benefits do not meet families’ nutritional needs and would eliminate pathways for making SNAP benefits adequate,” the institute stated.

Food Banks in Every State to Supplement Insufficient SNAP Benefits

Finding additional food assistance to supplement your insufficient Snap funds can be difficult, especially if you don’t know where to look.  We’ve put together a list of food banks in each of the 50 states that specifically serve Snap recipients struggling to make ends meet. 

Alabama

• The Birmingham Food Bank:
  • Website: https://feedingal.org/
  • Telephone: (205) 707-0007
• Montgomery Area Food Bank:
  • Website: https://www.facebook.com/MontgomeryAreaFoodBankInc
  • Telephone: (334) 262-3343

Alaska

• Alaska Food Bank:
  • Website: https://foodbankofalaska.org/
  • Telephone: (907) 745-2220
• Anchorage Food Bank:
  • Website: https://foodbankofalaska.org/help/
  • Telephone: (907) 279-6660

Arizona

• St. Mary’s Food Bank Alliance:
  • Website: https://www.firstfoodbank.org/
  • Telephone: (602) 242-1100
• Yuma Community Food Bank:
  • Website: https://www.yumafoodbank.org/
  • Telephone: (928) 783-7990

Arkansas

• Arkansas Food Bank:
  • Website: https://arkansasfoodbank.org/
  • Telephone: (501) 975-7471
• Northwest Arkansas Food Bank:
  • Website: https://www.nwafoodbank.org/
  • Telephone: (479) 273-8888

California

• Los Angeles Food Bank:
  • Website: https://www.lafoodbank.org/
  • Telephone: (213) 483-6000
• Second Harvest Food Bank of Silicon Valley:
  • Website: https://www.shfb.org/get-food/
  • Telephone: (408) 261-7000

Colorado

• Food Bank of the Rockies:
  • Website: https://www.foodbankrockies.org/
  • Telephone: (303) 931-1919
• Weld Food Bank:
  • Website: https://weldfoodbank.org/
  • Telephone: (970) 356-5663

Connecticut

• Connecticut Food Bank:
  • Website: https://ctfoodshare.org/
  • Telephone: (203) 314-9050
• Foodshare:
  • Website: https://ctfoodshare.org/
  • Telephone: (860) 243-2255

Delaware

• Food Bank of Delaware:
  • Website: https://www.fbd.org/
  • Telephone: (302) 424-5537
• Paulding Churches Food Pantry:
  • Website: https://hhpcga.org/
  • Telephone: (302) 879-2566

Florida

• Florida Feeding Families:
  • Website: https://www.feedingflorida.org/
  • Telephone: (850) 385-6731
• Tampa Bay Feeding Families:
  • Website: https://feedingtampabay.org/
  • Phone: (813) 226-8111

Georgia

• Atlanta Community Food Bank:
  • Website: https://acfb.org/
  • Telephone: (404) 651-6622
• Golden Harvest Food Bank:
  • Website: [invalid URL removed]
  • Telephone: (706) 724-4430

Idaho

• Idaho Foodbank:

• Website: [invalid URL removed]

• Telephone: (208) 336-9699

• Second Harvest Food Bank of Southern Idaho:

• Website: https://www.shfb.org/

• Telephone: (208) 735-8389

Illinois

• Greater Chicago Food Bank:

• Website: https://www.thefoodbank.org/

• Telephone: (312) 443-2400

• Peoria Area Food Bank:

• Website: https://www.peoriafoodbank.org/

• Telephone: (309) 673-5233

Indiana

• Gleaners Food Bank of Indiana:

• Website: https://www.gleaners.org/

• Telephone: (317) 397-2600

• Food Bank of Northeast Indiana:

• Website: [invalid URL removed]

• Telephone: (260) 447-0090

Iowa

• Iowa Food Bank Association:

• Website: [invalid URL removed]

• Telephone: (515) 281-8050

• Food Bank of Sioux City:

• Website: https://www.siouxlandfoodbank.org/

• Telephone: (712) 255-8986

Kansas

• Kansas Food Bank:

• Website: https://www.kansasfoodbank.org/

• Telephone: (785) 267-3800

• Wichita Food Bank:

• Website: [invalid URL removed]

• Telephone: (316) 267-6111

Kentucky

• Kentucky Harvest:

• Website: [invalid URL removed]

• Telephone: (859) 231-9830

• God’s Pantry Food Bank:

• Website: https://www.godspantry.org/

• Telephone: (502) 673-4663

Louisiana

• The Food Bank of New Orleans:

• Website: [invalid URL removed]

• Phone: (504) 726-9592

• Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank:

• Website: [invalid URL removed]

• Telephone: (225) 776-9592

Maine

• Good Shepherd Food Bank:

• Website: https://www.gsfb.org/

• Telephone: (207) 780-3765

• Penobscot Food Bank:

• Website: [invalid URL removed]

• Telephone: (207) 948-5360

Maryland

• Maryland Food Bank:

• Website: https://mdfoodbank.org/

• Telephone: (410) 239-3000

Maryland

• Capital Area Food Bank:

• Website: https://www.cafb.org/

• Telephone: (301) 632-3663

Massachusetts

• The Greater Boston Food Bank:

• Website: [invalid URL removed]

• Telephone: (617) 931-FOOD (3663)

• Franklin Food Pantry:

• Website: https://franklinfoodpantry.org/

• Telephone: (508) 528-0363

Michigan

• Gleaners Community Food Bank of Southeastern Michigan:

• Website: https://www.gcfb.org/

• Telephone: (313) 535-5000

• Food Bank of Northern Michigan:

• Website: [invalid URL removed]

• Telephone: (231) 729-3249

Minnesota

• Second Harvest Heartland:

• Website: https://2harvest.org/

• Telephone: (651) 690-0400

• Duluth-Superior Area Community Action Inc.:

• Website: https://www.dsca.org/

• Telephone: (218) 722-4734

Mississippi

• Mississippi Food Network:

• Website: [invalid URL removed]

• Telephone: (601) 292-3939

• Jackson Area Food Bank:

• Website: [invalid URL removed]

• Telephone: (601) 948-1565

Missouri

• The Food Bank for Central and Northeast Missouri:

• Website: https://thefoodbank.org/

• Telephone: (573) 442-6330

• Ozarks Food Harvest:

• Website: [invalid URL removed]

• Telephone: (417) 869-9101

Montana

• Montana Food Bank Network:

• Website: [invalid URL removed]

• Telephone: (406) 447-7663

• Gallatin Valley Food Bank:

• Website: https://www.gvfb.org/

• Telephone: (406) 586-3333

Nebraska

• Lincoln Food Bank:

• Website: https://lincolnfoodbank.org/

• Telephone: (402) 476-1110

• Omaha Food Bank:

• Website: [invalid URL removed]

• Telephone: (402) 331-331

Nevada

• Three Square Food Bank:

• Website: [invalid URL removed]

• Telephone: (775) 323-6333

• Las Vegas Food Bank:

• Website: https://www.thefoodbank.org/

• Telephone: (702) 383-1566

New Hampshire

• New Hampshire Food Bank:

• Website: https://nhfoodbank.org/

• Telephone: (603) 228-0114

• Seacoast Food Bank:

• Website: [invalid URL removed]

• Telephone: (603) 436-4450

New Jersey

• Food Bank of New Jersey:

• Website: [invalid URL removed]

• Telephone: (908) 356-3300

• The Community FoodBank of New Jersey, Inc.:

• Website: https://www.cfbnj.org/

• Telephone: (609) 655-7691

New Mexico

• Roadrunner Food Bank:

• Website: https://www.rrfb.org/

• Phone: (505) 842-3663

• Northern Rio Grande Food Bank:

• Website: [invalid URL removed]

• Telephone: (505) 753-2900

New York

• Food Bank of New York City:

• Website: [invalid URL removed]

• Telephone: (212) 628-0470

• Foodlink:

• Website: https://www.foodlink.org/

• Telephone: (585) 325-8371

North Carolina

• Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina:

• Website: [invalid URL removed]

• Telephone: (919) 829-0300

• Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest North Carolina:

• Website: https://www.shfb.org/

• Telephone: (336) 727-7376

North Dakota

• Great Plains Food Bank:

• Website: https://www.greatplainsfoodbank.org/

• Telephone: (701) 235-7575

• Food Bank of North Dakota:

• Website: [invalid URL removed]

• Telephone: (701) 222-3880

Ohio

• Freestore Food Bank:

• Website: https://www.freestorefoodbank.org/

• Telephone: (513) 359-6300

• Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Ohio:

• Website: https://www.shfb.org/

• Telephone: (614) 267-3344

Oklahoma

• Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma:

• Website: [invalid URL removed]

• Telephone: (405) 942-6600

• Oklahoma Food Bank:

• Website: [https://www.okfoodbank.org/](https://www.okfoodbank.org

Oregon

• Oregon Food Bank:

• Website: https://oregonfoodbank.org/

• Telephone: (503) 227-2800

• Gleaners Food Bank of Oregon & SW Washington:

• Website: https://gleaners.org/

• Telephone: (503) 231-3333

Pennsylvania

• Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank:

• Website: https://www.foodbank.org/

• Telephone: (412) 443-2400

• Central Pennsylvania Food Bank:

• Website: https://www.centralpafoodbank.org/

• Telephone: (570) 323-0505

Rhode Island

• Rhode Island Food Bank:

• Website: https://rifoodbank.org/

• Telephone: (401) 324-1980

• Paul Cuffee Food Pantry:

• Website: https://www.paulcuffee.org/

• Telephone: (401) 421-7070

South Carolina

• Lowcountry Food Bank:

• Website: https://www.lowcountryfoodbank.org/

• Telephone: (843) 723-4444

• Harvest Hope Food Bank:

• Website: https://www.harvesthope.org/

• Telephone: (864) 241-1000

South Dakota

• South Dakota Food Bank:

• Website: [invalid URL removed]

• Telephone: (605) 331-2722

• Black Hills Food Bank:

• Website: [invalid URL removed]

• Telephone: (605) 342-8600

Tennessee

• Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee:

• Website: https://www.secondharvestmidtn.org/

• Telephone: (615) 352-1919

• Memphis Food Bank:

• Website: https://www.memphisfoodbank.org/

• Telephone: (901) 798-9999

Texas

• North Texas Food Bank:

• Website: https://www.ntfb.org/

• Telephone: (972) 242-5100

• San Antonio Food Bank:

• Website: https://safoodbank.org/

• Telephone: (210) 331-3900

Utah

• Utah Food Bank:

• Website: https://www.utahfoodbank.org/

• Telephone: (801) 887-2960

• Second Harvest Food Bank of Utah:

• Website: https://www.shfb.org/

• Telephone: (435) 726-9979

Vermont

• Vermont Food Bank:

• Website: https://vtfoodbank.org/

• Telephone: (802) 656-033