Food Access

Download the food insecurity and chronic disease handout for more information and resources. This handout is also available in Spanish: Inseguridad alimentaria y enfermedades crónicas.

Alabama is the fifth poorest state in the nation, with 17% of adults and 23% of children (1 out of 4) facing food insecurity, or lack of regular access to enough nutritious food for an active, healthy life. For those with low or no income, rent or mortgage and medicine are usually covered first, leaving little for the food budget and other, more flexible expenses.

Poverty, food insecurity, and poor nutrition have serious consequences for the health and well-being of children, adults, and older adults, including a greater risk for chronic disease and poor mental health (FRAC, 2017).

COVID-19 has led to an increase in food insecurity in Alabama. If you or someone you know is struggling with food insecurity, these resources may be able to help.

• Benefits Enrollment Center - Helps eligible low-income seniors, adults, and individuals with disabilities find food and enroll in benefits programs that can help towards affording necessities like prescriptions, insurance, and housing costs.
• End Child Hunger in Alabama (ECHA) County Food Guide Project - With the assistance of volunteers and strategic community partnerships, ECHA is ensuring that families throughout the state of Alabama are aware of food resources in their local county.
• Alabama WIC Program - Women, Infants and Children (WIC) is a supplemental nutrition program for pregnant women, breastfeeding women, women who had a baby within the last six months, infants, and children under the age of five. One must meet income requirements and have a nutritional risk that proper nutrition could help to improve.
• Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) – SNAP’s purpose is to end hunger and improve nutrition by providing monthly benefits to help eligible low-income households buy the food needed for good health.
• Double Up Food Bucks – Every $1 you spend at participating Alabama farmers markets on any SNAP-eligible food with your EBT Card, will be matched for more fruits and veggies! Get up to $20 free per day!
• Break for a Plate Alabama - Sit down and eat with us at Break for a Plate, where Alabama’s kids eat free – along with teens in our state – all summer while school is out. We have a table ready for you at a participating program site in your community. Use our Location Finder to see where your child or teen can continue to receive two free meals each day during summer vacation.
• Alabama Child Nutrition Program – Sponsors, including school districts, local government agencies, camps and private nonprofit organizations provide free meals to children and low-cost meals to adults. Use the interactive map to find a site near you!
• Alabama Food Pantries – Find local pantries, soup kitchens, food shelves, food banks, and other food help.
• Little Free Pantries - The mini pantry movement is a grassroots, crowdsourced solution to immediate and local need for food assistance --- neighbors helping neighbors. These pantries invite people to take what you need and leave what you can. Check out the interactive map to find a location near you.
• 2-1-1 – Visit the website, or call 2-1-1 or text or call 888-421-1266 for assistance with a multitude of services such as food, housing, healthcare, transportation, etc. in your community.

Want to be part of the solution? Here are a few ideas:

• Be an advocate
• Volunteer at or donate to a food bank or food pantry
• Start a food pantry --- contact your local food bank to get started
• Start a little free pantry, or donate to an existing one
• Pay off school meal debt for children at a local school district
• Start a BackPack Program at your school
• Start (or ask for) a share table at your school

Food insecurity touches every community. Get to know your neighbors --- food insecurity is closer than you think!