Food Assistance
Nutrition programs strive to provide seniors with healthy meals, but older adults may need additional food to meet their nutritional needs. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and other programs may be helpful. Becoming familiar with and referring participants to these programs can help ensure that all older adults in your community have access to enough healthy food.
Guides
- Finding Food for Older Adults — Quick guide to food programs that help older adults access
healthy meals and groceries (Nutrition and Aging Resource Center, 2022) - Food Pharmacies Explainer — Introduction on what food pharmacies are and who can
benefit from them (Nutrition and Aging Resource Center, 2024)
Tools & Toolkits
- Benefits CheckUp— Comprehensive tool that connects older adults and people with
disabilities to benefits (National Council on Aging) - Nutrition Assistance Programs— Report on nutrition needs of older adults (U.S. Government Accountability Office, 2019)
- Nutrition Security— Resources on nutrition research, webinar series, healthy eating on a budget, commodity programs, and program histories (USDA)
- Kentucky River Regional Nutrition Resource Directory— Example of a regional food and meal resource directory (Kentucky River Area Development District, 2022)
- Food Assistance and Food System Resources— Resources for individuals and families seeking food assistance (CDC)
- Food Assistance for Older Adults— Articles about food assistance (National Council on Aging)
- Food Assistance for Seniors Age 60 and Over— Programs including SNAP, Child and Adult Care Food Program, Senior Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program, Commodity Supplemental Food Program, and resources for military and veteran families (USDA)
- Partnerships With Food Banks and Other United States Department of Agriculture Programs — Frequently asked questions on how OAA programs can partner with SNAP, TEFAP, food banks, and more (Nutrition and Aging Resource Center)
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program
- Seniors & SNAP: 5 Myths Busted— Addressing misconceptions that may keep older adults from applying for SNAP assistance (National Council on Aging, 2025)
- SNAP and the Thrifty Food Plan— Resources, information, and FAQs (USDA)
- SNAP for Older Adults— Information on how SNAP can help pay for food and ensure good nutrition (National Council on Aging)
- SNAP Online Purchasing— Tool to locate retailers participating in the SNAP online purchasing pilot (USDA)
- SNAP Special Eligibility Rules— Frequently asked questions on special SNAP eligibility rules for households with older adults or people with disabilities (USDA)
- SNAP State Directory of Resources— Contact information for state SNAP offices (USDA)
- State Data for Households Participating in SNAP— Interactive data map (Food Research & Action Center)
- Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)— Information on SNAP and the nutrition benefits it provides to supplement family food budgets (USDA)