Community Health & Nutrition

Cornell Cooperative Extension is invested in making healthy food and activity choices easier for people living throughout Erie County.

If you need assistance with food or nutrition for yourself or your family, please see the resources below

Local Western New York Programs:

FeedMore WNYFeedMore’s Food Bank program provides nutritious food and support throughout Erie, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, and Niagara Counties. For a list of food pantries and soup kitchens can be found here

• Need to find a food pantry? Click here for the FeedMore WNY Mobile food pantry schedule
• FeedMore Meals onWheels program provides home-delivered meal program is designed to enhance the health and independence of homebound seniors and disabled individuals. Want to see if you are eligible to enroll? Phone:(716) 822-2002

School Meal Distributions: The links below share information about sites providing free meals for youth 18 years old and younger.

• Sites in English
• Sites in Arabic
• Sites in Burmese
• Sites in Karen
• Sites in Nepali
• Sites in Spanish
• Sites in Somali

211 WNYis your free and confidential link to health and human services. Call 2-1-1 to get information about where to get free food resources in your community, as well as other resources available for individuals and families. 211 is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

State & National Programs :

New York State Assistance Want to find out if you are eligible for help through Temporary Assistance programs, HEAP, WIC, Schools Meals and Summer Meals programs? Visit MyBenefits.Gov

SNAP/Food Stamps

• Need help buying food? SNAP can help. Click here to learn more about SNAP Benefits (EBT or formerly known as Food Stamps) which help low-income working people, seniors, the disabled and others feed their families. Complete an online application to see if you qualify .
• Nutrition Outreach and Education Program (NOEP) can help you with the paperwork and process necessary to sign up for SNAP.
• Erie County NOEP Contact: Kelly Ann Kowalski, Food For All Director, 716-882-7705 kellyannkk@aol.com

WIC - the Women, Infants & Children’s Supplemental FoodProgram provides nutritious foods and resources for low-income pregnant and post-partum women and their children under five years of age. Breastfeeding support is available. Find out if you are eligible for WIC, see a schedule of monthly WIC clinics in locations around Erie County, and other WIC resources on this website.

• All WIC appointments are being conducted over the phone. WIC staff are able to enroll new families who may now be WIC eligible, if they are newly unemployed. WIC help line is working to help make appointments, ask questions, or newly enroll. Help Line: 716-218-1484

Did You Know?

1.  Seeds and plants used to grow food may be eligible for purchase with SNAP benefits        (food stamps).

• Call ahead to make sure the vendor accepts SNAP for seeds/plants
• Check out SNAPgardens.org

2.  Some farmer markets accept SNAP benefits. Check out SNAP-to-Market

• Call your market and get updated hours and policies during the covid-19 crisis and ask if any vendors accept SNAP

Helpful Links

• Wondering how to plan out meals and prepare for grocery shopping during a pandemic? Click here
• Want more info on how to eat healthy on a budget, planning for your grocery store trip? Click here
• Want to learn how to build healthy eating habits one step at a time? Click here
• Need easy, low cost, nutritious recipe ideas?

o  MyPlate Kitchen

o  Oregon State University’s FoodHero

Last updated July 17, 2024