' - or over three decades, the
· United States Department of
Agriculture's Food and
Nutrition Service (FNS) has led
America's fight against hunger
and provided nutrition
assistance through high
integrity programs delivered by
State and local partnerships,
serving more than 50 million
Americans per year.
FNS Nutriti.
Food Stamp Program
First Line of Defense Against Hunger
The Food Stamp Program currently serves about 20 million children and adults
a month. The program provides monthly nutrition assistance for eligible
participants to purchase approved food items at approved food stores. Eligibility
is based on household size, income, assets, and other factors. Over half of all
participants are children; one out of ten is a low-income older adult.
Step 1, a pre-screening tool available at www.FoodStamps-Stepl.usda.gov, is a
quick way to determine eligibility and get an estimate of monthly benefits.
Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for
Women, Infants and Children (WIC)
Healthier Mothers and Babies
WIC is working for 7.5 million low-income
pregnant women, breastfeeding and nonbreastfeeding
postpartum mothers, and infants and
children up to 5 years old. The program provides
supplemental foods, nutrition education, and access
to health services. Participants redeem vouchers for
specific foods that contain nutrients frequently
lacking in the diet of low-income mothers and
children.
tlon Assistance Programs: Sf
Child Nutrition Programs
Eating to Learn, Learning to Eat
• National School Lunch Program
• School Breakfast Program
• Child and Adult Care Food Program
• Summer Food Service Program
• Special Milk Program
FNS partners with schools, local government agencies,
and private non-profit organizations to provide
nutritious meals and a healthy eating environment for
school children of all ages. School meals and child nutrition assistance programs
are now serving more than 28 million children every school day.
These programs are updated and improved as needed
to better meet the nutrition and health requirements
of all children.
fJlengthening the Nutritional The Emergency Food Assistance Program
Provides commodity foods to States for distribution to supplement food stocks of
households, soup kitchens, and food banks.
The Commodity Supplemental Food Program
Distributes food directly to more than 430,000 women, infants, children, and
elderly every month, with food packages tailored to the nutritional needs of
participants.
Food Assistance for Disaster Relief
Furnished by FNS to
State relief agencies
and organizations like
the Red Cross and
Salvation Army in
times of natural
disasters. Tens of
thousands of survivors
of natural disasters are
fed by FNS and its
partners every year.
il
:Safety Net ;•
The Food Distribution
Program on Indian
Reservations
Supplies commodity foods to low-income
families who live on Indian reservations
and to Native Americans living near
reservations. Nearly 110,000 people
participate each month.
Nutrition Assistance
Programs
in Puerto Rico, American Samoa, and the Commonwealth of
the Northern Marianas Islands (CNMI)
Provide block grant cash. These governments distribute benefits in different
ways. Puerto Rico gives participants electronic benefits on a card like a bank
card. American Samoa and the CNMI provide vouchers that can be exchanged
for food.
( j ur mission is to increase food
U security and reduce hunger by
ensuring better access to food, a .".."' · ......
more healthful diet, and nutrition
education for children and lowincome
families. Nutrition assistance
programs build a strong foundation to
help families eat better, learn better, and earn better.
Home Economics and Household Collection
