Helping New Yorkers in need move away from food pantry lines and into financial stability takes an innovative, multi-layered approach to fighting poverty in our city. Food Bank is committed to providing the income support services low-income residents need to move toward self-sufficiency.

Our Financial Empowerment programs include:

Food & Finances
With an emphasis on household budgeting, Food Bank’s school-based financial empowerment services offers intensive training to low-income parents or guardians to enhance their ability to manage their personal finances and achieve food security.

Support with SNAP 
Access to the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as food stamps, is a critical safety net for thousands of New Yorkers who struggle to make ends meet. Food Bank works to educate, pre-screen and connect low-income New Yorkers to this important benefit.

Our multilayered approach—including providing electronic application assistance at 21 food partner sites throughout the five boroughs—helps more people access SNAP citywide and yields up to $32 million in food purchasing power each year.

Looking for SNAP benefits?  Learn more.

Help with Health Insurance
Food Bank’s Benefits Access team connects clients to low-cost health care.

Free Tax Return Support
Food Bank helps hard-working, low-income New Yorkers get the refunds to which they are entitled.  We take a close look at where hunger lives in the city to target families who need our free tax assistance services the most. With 300 certified volunteer tax preparers, 17 tax preparation sites and a virtual filing program that allows tax returns to be filed remotely, more New Yorkers are getting money back to help make ends meet.  Last year Food Bank helped bring more than $141 million in tax refunds back to struggling New Yorkers.

Need Tax Return support?
Learn all you need to know.