Food insecurity, the limited or uncertain availability of nutritionally adequate and safe foods, is an important public health concern facing Los Angeles County residents. A
2007report (PDF file; 1985 KB) indicated that many households in the county experience this problem as well as hunger, a severe form of food insecurity.
Many programs are available throughout the county for those residents facing food insecurity. Among them are the Food Stamp Program, the Women, Infant and Children (WIC) Program and food banks. In addition, most schools in the county offer a free breakfast, lunch and/or snack program to those who qualify. Los Angeles County and some city parks also offer a free lunch program during the summer months as well as an after school snack program year round.
The Food Stamp Program was established to improve the nutrition of people in low-income households. It does that by increasing their food-buying power, so they are able to purchase the amount of food their household needs. Food Stamps are issued in dollar denomination coupons and are used instead of money at the grocery store. To learn more about the food stamp program, please visit the Department of Public Social Services Food and Nutrition Program at
http://dpss.lacounty.gov/new_portal/dpss_foodstamps.cfm. If you would like to determine if you are eligible to receive food stamps you can use a pre-screening tool at
http://65.216.150.143/fns/. This Pre-Screening Tool is not an application for Food Stamps. An application for Food Stamps must be made at your local Food Stamp Office.
Click here to find the office that serves your area in Los Angeles County.
WIC, the Women, Infants, and Children program, is a nutrition program that helps pregnant women, new mothers and young children eat well and stay healthy. Click on
detailed description for more information about the WIC Program. Generally, WIC is available to low income pregnant, breastfeeding , and postpartum women and children under age five who are at nutritional risk and who are at or below 185 percent of the federal poverty level. Contact your
local WIC office to make an appointment and find out which documents you need to bring with you. At your appointment, WIC staff will determine if you and your family qualify. You may also use the LA County Helps website tool at
http://www.lacountyhelps.org to determine eligibility for the WIC and Food Stamp Program in addition to other assistance programs.
The Los Angeles Regional Food Bank partners with over 1,000 charities in Los Angeles County to help distribute nutritious food to economically disadvantaged residents. Their website (http://www.lafoodbank.com) offers information on their services and provides an online service that allows you to locate a food distribution site by city or zip code.
Federally assisted meal programs operate in public and nonprofit private schools and residential child care institutions. They provide nutritionally balanced, low-cost or free meals to children each school day and also during summer break at some facilities. To learn more about these programs please visit the USDA website at
http://www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/. To determine if your child's school offers these programs during the school year please contact the school's food services department or administration. Contact your local park to determine if the summer lunch and/or after-school snack programs are available.
