The ongoing government shutdown will impact food security benefits such as Cal-Fresh, EBT, and SNAP beginning Sat., Nov. 1 unless a resolution is reached before that date. We realize that these are difficult times for many, and the additional loss of food benefits will be especially stressful. For those needing food assistance, below are resources for finding free food pantries, food banks, and hot meal programs in Los Angeles, New York, and Austin. You can also find an emotional support line for those losing their food assistance benefits at the end of this post.
LOS ANGELES
Food Pantry Finders
On the websites for Food Oasis and LA Food Bank, you can easily search for free food resources in your area. Go to the website and enter your zip code. You will see a list of resources with the name of the organization, address, hours, and type of program (i.e. food pantry, meal program).
Labor Community Services Los Angeles Food Distribution
Labor Community Services Los Angeles offers regular walk-up and drive-through food distribution events throughout Los Angeles County. You can find locations and dates for food distribution events here.
LA County Parks Meal Programs
The LA County Parks offers a variety of meal programs:
- Youth 17 and under: free youth snack program
- Teens ages 12-18: free hot supper program
- Seniors age 60 and up: free nutrition program
To find more information and locations, go to the LA County Parks website.
NEW YORK
Food Bank for NYC
On the website for Food Bank for NYC, you can search for food banks by date and type (i.e. groceries, breakfast). This organization works with a network of almost 800 food pantries, soup kitchens, and mobile pantries to serve every New York borough.
AUSTIN
Central Texas Food Bank
The Central Texas Food Bank offers various resources for food assistance. You can find calendars for their mobile food pantry, Fresh Food for Families program, and older adults programs here. They also offer a search function here where you can enter your location to find free groceries, hot meals, kids meals, and more.
EMOTIONAL SUPPORT LINE
Starting on Oct. 30, 2025, Optum Wellbeing is offering an emotional support line for those whose food assistance/SNAP benefits are ending. This public help line will be open for two calendar weeks. The line is open Monday through Friday from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. PST. The Optum website also has a National Food Finder listing.