Food Assistance Is Available

Get Help

• Find food nearby using the new Food Finder map: FoodBankST.org/Find-Food
• Call 2-1-1 (24/7, 365 days a year)
• Continue using any remaining benefits on your SNAP/EBT card
• Apply for WIC (Women, Infants, and Children): HungerSolutionsNY.org/find-food-help/wic
• Apply for SNAP (even with delays from the government shutdown, people should still apply for SNAP so they’ll receive benefits as soon as they resume): BenefitSupport.FeedingAmerica.org/?locationId=X23YELMIR

Give Help

• Download and post the Food Resource Flyer and / or send home to families.
• Volunteer at a local food pantry or meal site. Find the closest location: FoodBankST.org/Find-Food
• Give funds to support a local food pantry or the Food Bank of the Southern Tier 
• Advocate for those who need support. Here is a sign-on letter urging Congress to protect SNAP benefits: FeedingNYS.quorum.us/campaign/145507/
• Local hunters can donate venison at no cost to process through the New York State Venison Donation Program.

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Local Programs

Daily Food Pantries & Community Meals- The Tompkins County Human Services Coalition website has an online calendar that gives the hours and locations of food pantries and community meals offered in Tompkins County on each day of the week.

FoodNet Meals on Wheels provides home-delivered meals-on-wheels, community center meals, nutrition assessments, nutrition counseling, and help applying for SNAP benefits (formerly Food Stamps) for older adults and other persons in Tompkins County. Foodnet Meals on Wheels, 2422 N Triphammer Rd, Ithaca, NY 14850 (607) 266-9553.

Food Bank of the Southern Tier distributes food and other grocery products to more than 165 member agencies that then serve people in need, such as food pantries, soup kitchens, shelters and other hunger relief organizations in Broome, Chemung, Schuyler, Steuben, Tioga and Tompkins Counties. They also offer direct food distribution programs including the BackPack Program™ and Mobile Food Pantry.

Friendship Donations Network (FDN) rescues fresh nutritious food from stores, restaurants and farms that would be thrown away and redistributes it to food pantries and community feeding sites where it reaches people in need. Here is the list of programs they serve, but to find a pantry on any day of the week, go to the first Food Pantries link listed above. FDN also coordinates a pilot-program in Ithaca called Neighborhood Food Hubs in which gardeners can donate extra vegetables to local food pantries.

State & National Programs:

MyBenefits.Gov - New York State residents can visit this web site to find out if you are eligible for help through SNAP (formerly Food Stamps), Nutrition Education,  Temporary Assistance, HEAP,  WIC, School Meals and  Summer Meal Programs.

SNAP / (formerly Food Stamps) benefits help low-income working people, seniors, the disabled and others feed their families.  The USDA’s SNAP-Ed connection web site provides great tips and resources. Choose from: Healthy Eating on a Budget, 10 Steps to Help fill your grocery bag, Ways to Manage Your Food Dollars and MORE at SNAP's Eat Right when Money's Tight website.

The SNAP-to-Market website helps you find NY Farmers' Markets where you can use your SNAP benefits (formerly Food Stamps) and explains how to make Farmers' Market purchases with them.  You'll also find information on when fruits and vegetables are in-season at your market, and recipes to use with produce you buy.  

WIC - the Women, Infants & Children’s Supplemental Food Program provides nutritious foods, nutrition education, and referrals to community services for low-income pregnant and post-partum women and their children under five years of age. Breastfeeding support is available. Find out if you are eligible for WIC, see a schedule of monthly WIC clinics in locations around Tompkins County, and other WIC resources on this website. Tompkins County Health Department, 55 Brown Road, Ithaca, New York 14850

Our educational programs help families and households to stretch their food dollars to make healthier choices and eat better for less. The Healthy Eating Support Community at CCE provides a space for those looking to set and meet personal health goals to gain the knowledge and skills to make them a reality.

SNAP benefits help working people, seniors, the disabled and others with limited incomes to feed their families.

WIC is for pregnant women or those with children under five who have limited incomes.

Last updated November 6, 2025