How to get help from Charlotte food pantries + what to know about applying for food stamps
More than 1.4 million people in North Carolina depend on food assistance programs, and data shows that Mecklenburg County residents in need of assistance aren’t getting it in a timely manner.
For the week ending March 17, the county approved just 58% of food stamp applications within the federally required time frames – a rate lower than all but four other North Carolina counties, The Charlotte Observer reported.
For comparison, Wake County, the state’s largest, approved 73% of food stamp applications within the required time frames that week.
According to the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services, you may be eligible for food stamps if you:
- Have a low-paying job or no job
- Receive other government benefits
- Are elderly or disabled
- Have a low-income
- Are experiencing homelessness
What are SNAP and WIC programs? What is EBT?
Elderly individuals may also be eligible for the state’s Simplified Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP), which is a condensed version of the food stamp program, according to NCDHHS.
The NCDHHS Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, or the WIC program, also provides food assistance and nutrition education to “low-income pregnant, postpartum, and breastfeeding women, infants and children up to age 5 who are at nutritional risk,” according to NCDHHS.
Once your application is approved for any of these programs, you’ll receive an Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) card, similar to a debit card, where your funds will be deposited each month.
If you’re searching for food stamp assistance, here’s what you’ll need for the application, where to apply and where to get groceries while you wait for approval.
What do you need to apply for food stamps?
Kenya Joseph, co-founder of the Hearts and Hands Food Pantry in Charlotte, said the most important thing food stamp applicants can do is gather all the necessary documents needed for the application.
“It’s really about just making sure you have all your personal records together, and that you have copies of everything you need for your application,” Joseph said. “If you don’t, you’ll need to undergo whatever the process is to replace them.”
According to the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services, you’ll need the following information for each person in your household:
Identification for you or the head of the household, such as a driver’s license, birth certificate, or government-issued ID
Social Security Numbers, birthdates and citizenship status for each person in the household
How much money each person has in cash, bank accounts, investments, retirement accounts, etc.
Your household’s monthly bills, including childcare, child support, and disabled adult care
Medical bills for anyone over 60 or who is disabled
Proof of income for each person
Paperwork or IDs from other benefits you receive, like Medicaid, SSI, or WFFA
Where to apply for food stamps
According to NCDHHS, you can apply for food stamps in Mecklenburg County:
Online at epass.nc.gov
In person at the Mecklenburg County Department of Social Services office, 301 Billingsley Road, Charlotte, NC 28211
By mail by sending a paper application to the Mecklenburg County DSS office
Where to get food while you wait
Food stamp applications typically take 25 days to process for most people.
In the meantime, there are many food pantries you can visit in the Charlotte area to stock up on food.
Hearts and Hands Food Pantry
Hearts and Hands Food Pantry offers curbside and delivery food assistance services by appointment only. Clients are eligible for assistance once every two weeks and referrals are not required.
You should bring a photo ID and proof of residence during your first curbside pickup appointment. Someone can pick up food on your behalf, but you must contact Hearts and Hands before your appointment and provide that person’s name.
To be eligible for delivery, you must be a Mecklenburg County resident and meet at least two of the following requirements:
Elderly (65 years or older)
Disabled
Immunocompromised where you cannot go out
Major health challenge
Homeless
Catastrophic life event
To schedule a curbside appointment, you can visit hhpantrycurbsidepickup.youcanbook.me. To schedule delivery, visit hhpantrydelivery.youcanbook.me.
Loaves & Fishes and Friendship Trays
Loaves & Fishes, which recently merged with Friendship Trays, provides a week’s worth of groceries to eligible families. There are more than 30 pantry locations in the Charlotte area that distribute on scheduled days.
Referrals are required to receive emergency food boxes from their pantries and can be made by a professional from an approved human service organization, government agency, school or medical entity, according to the organization’s website.
First-time referrals can also be made by its on-site social services coordinator who can help connect people with other support services.
The professional making the referral will need to provide names and birth dates for each person in your household that will receive food, as well as your address and contact information in case an appointment needs to be rescheduled.
Any professional familiar with your situation can call the organization at 704-523-4333. Phone lines are open from 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina
Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina serves multiple food pantry locations throughout the Charlotte area:
Berean Seventh-Day Adventist Community Center, 1801 Double Oaks Rd., Charlotte, NC 28206
Calvary Nazarene Church, 4000 N Sharon Amity Rd., Charlotte, NC 28205
Care to Share, 5232 The Plaza, Charlotte, NC 28215
Catholic Charities, 1123 S. Church St., Charlotte, NC 28203
Faith CME Church, 457 Wellingford St., Charlotte, NC 28213
Faith Soldiers Word Ministries, 857 Eastway Dr., Charlotte, NC 28205
Feed My Sheep, 6116 Vernedale Rd., Charlotte, NC 28212
Harbor Baptist, 5801 Old Concord Rd., Charlotte, NC 28213
Hickory Grove Baptist Church, 7200 E. W.T. Harris Blvd., Charlotte, NC 28215
Hickory Grove United Methodist Church, 6401 Hickory Grove Rd., Charlotte, NC 28215
Hope Street Food Pantry, 4100 Johnston Oehler Rd., Charlotte, NC 28269
If My People, 2506 Lucena St., Charlotte, NC 28206
Liberty Baptist Church, 3000 Sam Wilson Rd., Charlotte, NC 28214
New Hope Baptist Church, 7841 Idlewild Rd., Charlotte, NC 28212
New Shiloh Baptist Church, 2600 Elmin St., Charlotte, NC 28208
Pineville Church of Nazarene, 8614 Pineville-Matthews Rd., Charlotte, NC 28226
Oak Grove UMC, 6440 Old Statesville Rd., Charlotte, NC 28269
Reeder Memorial Baptist Church, 3725 Beatties Ford Rd., Charlotte, NC 28216
Robinson Presbyterian Church, 9424 Harrisburg Rd., Charlotte, NC 28215
Shalom Adonai Church of God, 1148 N. Sharon Amity Rd., Charlotte, NC 28211
Silvermount Baptist Church, 501 W. Arrowood Rd., Charlotte, NC 28217
St. Paul Baptist Church, 1401 Allen St., Charlotte, NC 28205
Before visiting a pantry, you should call ahead to ask for hours of operation and requirements to receive assistance.
