Where to find free food in all NYC boroughs
Find where residents of New York City can get free food, groceries, and meals, including from emergency pantries as well as soup kitchens. Everything from canned groceries to fresh produce and more is offered. There are citywide distribution centers that cover all boroughs as well as local, neighborhood type food pantries in all the boroughs, including Queens, Brooklyn, Staten Island, the Bronx, and Manhattan. Find more details below on where to get free food or meals in NYC, no matter where you live with links to contact information.
The locations focus on helping anyone in need get free food, whether an immigrant, senior or someone with a disability. Many of the charity or church run food pantries offer free Meals on Wheels delivery or pet food as well. While the focus is on meeting nutritional needs, some of the food pantries will offer other means of support. For example, many charities run special seasonal Thanksgiving, or Christmas meal programs - they can provide free holiday meals, or food baskets. Other support can include free baby formula, summer meals, and help in applying for programs such as SNAP food stamps.
Where to get a free box of food or meal no matter where you live in NYC
Another option is to call the free NYC Hunger Hotline. This is a service available throughout the city. The phone call and the information provided to residents is free. The staff at the coalition that offer this service can provide referrals to soup kitchens, food pantries in every neighborhood, and more. They even have details on all of the federal and state benefits, such as SNAP or WIC vouchers, available to New York City families. Read more on New York City Hunger Hotline.
Food Bank for New York City is a leading agency that is part of Feeding America. This non-profit organizations purpose is to increase access to affordable, nutritious groceries in New York City. The working poor, migrants and others can all get help. The goal is to end food poverty for struggling New Yorkers throughout the five boroughs. They work to do this by focusing on education and nutrition. There are free groceries as a form of food assistance, financial empowerment and counseling. The New York City Food Bank procures and distributes food to a network of over 1,000 pantries as well as food assistance programs across New York City.
- In addition to this service, the Food Bank provides other support. As an example, hey conduct food stamp pre-screening and outreach assistance, they manage school nutrition education programs in New York, and help with after-school and emergency food programs. The NYC Food Bank also operates a Senior Food Program with protein drinks and government commodities such as milk, cheese and dairy. Dial 718-991-4300 or 212-566-7855 or look here for details https://www.foodbanknyc.org/find-food/.
Catholic Charity churches of New York City
Anyone in need can use their social services. Centers in Queens along with Brooklyn and Manhattan as well as other parts of the city help people facing hunger. Free emergency boxes of food, baby formula for single moms, and other groceries are given. They also help clients apply for USDA commodities, Meals on wheels, and more. Continue with Catholic Charities assistance in NYC.
Salvation Army food pantries and soup kitchens
There are several around NYC and they are in all boroughs. Each has a soup kitchen for the homeless, a client choice food pantry that gives out canned or fresh groceries, clothing, drive thru assistance for free groceries and more. They also tend to give free Thanksgiving meals/turkeys, feed the low income at Christmas, and give other assistance. Get free shelf stable food, baby formula, meat, pasta, cereal, and cultural specific meals. More on Salvation Army in New York City.
NYC 311 and Food Help NYC are options. The site list local food pantries, meal sites and soup kitchens as well as their hours. In general, enough canned or fresh groceries are given out for more than one meal. You can search city-wide, no matter your neighborhood, for free food providers with details here. https://finder.nyc.gov/foodhelp/.
City Harvest is another free website / database to use. It lists food pantries, meal sites, mobile markets, Meals on Wheels contact information and even community fridges for all five boroughs. All the locations serve anyone in need, no matter age, ethnicity or income with the City Harvest info here. https://www.cityharvest.org/food-map/.
NYC Human Resources Administration (HRA) is another citywide service. They partner with Food Help NYC (above), local non-profits and also coordinate the Community Food Connection service. Among other programs they list various free food distribution sites that are open year round as well as seasonally. Or apply for government benefits such as USDA commodities, food stamps and others with HRA info here https://www.nyc.gov/site/hra/help/food-assistance.page.
United Way of New York City coordinates a number of resources that help feed struggling people in the city - all 5 boroughs. They have a free app known as Plentiful that provides locations of nearby pantries and soup kitchens as well as the wait time to use said center. The app also helps people drill down to find the type of food or personal toiletries offered, such as produce, shelf stable food, detergent and other stuff a pantry may give out. Other programs include the FeedNYC websites and a referral service with more details on the United Way food assistance programs here https://unitedwaynyc.org/food-benefits-access-2022/.
New York Common Pantry serves multiple boroughs. They operate a citywide mobile pantry program. Other programs include a free brown bag for lunch or dinner, meals, holiday food baskets and a client choice pantry in partnership with other charities. Get details here https://nycommonpantry.org/were-here-to-help-2/.
Additional free food banks by borough
While some of the primary food banks that support people, no matter where they live in the NYC region, are on this page residents have additional selections available to them. For example, many churches or smaller charities also distribute free food or will serve a hot meal to anyone who needs it. They tend to be more focused on a small area and be open limited hours. The New York City boroughs with more localized options include the following, with contact information listed on each page.
Bronx
Brooklyn
Manhattan
Queens
Staten Island
If you want to look for other programs that feed people and that are available across New York City, that give out food or serve meals and that are posted by people in the city, use our community forum and discussion boards. Find real experiences from people in the city that are struggling too. You can ask questions, look for programs that help feed people, pantries or options. Here is the forum discussing programs that give out food in NYC to try for other programs.
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