Food Resources for your Clients

Listed below are resources that will help you connect families to needed food. Some of these programs have eligibility criteria and may not be available to all families.

Adequate food is critical in early learning and school success for children. However thousands of families face a daily or periodic struggle to put food on the table. Use the resources below to help connect your clients to needed food.

The Family Food Hotline
1-888 4-FOOD-WA
(1-888-436-6392)

Call to speak with a resource specialist about local food banks and program eligibility for Basic Food (Food Stamps), WIC and Summer Meals. Staff are bilingual (English and Spanish) and can assist clients in over 150 languages via FREE telephone interpreters. Call 1-888-436-6392 to find available food assistance programs in your area.

Find a Food Bank using the Resource Finder

Find a Food Bank for your client by using ParentHelp123’s Resource Finder search tool. Choose Food Banks from the list of search terms in the Resource Finder.

Learn More About State Sponsored Food Programs:

WIC – Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children

WIC provides healthy foods, nutrition tips, breastfeeding help and referrals to lower income pregnant and breastfeeding women and children under the age of five. WIC clients receive checks for up to $50 per month to buy healthy foods at their local grocery store. Getting WIC will not affect your client’s immigration status.

WIC Clinic Locator

WIC serves pregnant and breastfeeding women, infants, and children under age five. Use WithReach’s WIC Clinic Locator to find a WIC Clinic for your client.

Basic Food – Food Stamps

Basic Food is the name for the Food Stamp Program in Washington State. Basic Food helps lower income families buy food with an Electronic Benefits Transfer Card (EBT). EBT cards work like debit cards. Participants can spend monthly benefits in participating grocery stores.

• To estimate your client’s Basic Food benefit amount, use the Benefit Estimator or call the Family Food Hotline 1-888-436-6392 for help with your questions.

Summer Meals Program

The Summer Meals Program is one of the federal nutrition programs that provides free meals and snacks to children and teens during the summer months (June through August). Summer meal sites are located in schools, parks, recreation centers, community-based organizations, faith-based organizations, and camps.

All kids and teens (18 years old and younger) are eligible for the program. No proof of income, address or citizenship is ever required.

• Use the Summer Meals Search Tool to find where meal sites were held in your community in 2010.

• Promote Summer Meals in your community with the Summer Meals Flyer
  (text in English & Spanish).

To learn more about Summer Meals and how you could bring a new site to your community, contact: Claire Lane, Food Security Program Manager at WithinReach 206-830-7642