Where this sits: Benefits › Topics › Food help beyond SNAP. Related: SNAP, MFIP, immigration status and benefits.
The map
A family can use several of these at once.
| Need | Program | Who | How |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly groceries | SNAP | Low-income households | CAF or MNbenefits |
| Monthly groceries, families on MFIP | MFIP food portion | MFIP families | Part of MFIP |
| Groceries, some noncitizens 50+ | MFAP (state-funded SNAP) | Listed statuses, not on MFIP | Apply for SNAP |
| Pregnancy, babies, children under 5 | WIC | Pregnant, breastfeeding and postpartum women, infants, children under 5 | Local WIC clinic |
| School days | Free school meals | All students at participating schools | Automatic |
| Summer groceries | SUN Bucks | Children 7-17 on SNAP, MFIP and others, or at a participating school with an approved free or reduced-price meal application | Mostly automatic |
| Summer meals | Summer meal sites | Children under 18 | Find a site (app) |
| Emergency food | Food shelves (TEFAP) | Self-reported income at or under 300% of poverty guidelines | No documents needed |
| Jobs and training | SNAP E&T | SNAP recipients not on MFIP | Voluntary, through a provider |
People on MFIP, SNAP or MA are automatically income eligible for WIC. Noncitizens on MFIP who can't get federal SNAP get MFIP's food portion paid by the state, or MFAP if they are 50 or older and not on MFIP.
Start here if unsure: the Minnesota Food Helpline, 1-888-711-1151 (call or text, Monday to Friday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., in English, Somali, Spanish and Hmong), helps find food shelves, discounted groceries and senior meals, and helps with SNAP applications.
WIC
WIC gives nutrition education and counseling, healthy foods on a WIC Card, and referrals to health and other services. Local WIC clinics run it.
Who: pregnant women (no proof of pregnancy needed), through 6 weeks after the birth; breastfeeding women (breast milk at least once a day on average) until the month the baby turns 1, though women who only partly breastfeed lose the food benefits after 6 months; postpartum women who aren't breastfeeding, up to 6 months after the pregnancy ends; infants; and children until their 5th birthday.
Income: automatic if anyone in the household currently gets Medical Assistance, MinnesotaCare, MFIP, SNAP, free or reduced-price school lunch, Head Start or energy assistance (SSI or TEFRA makes only that person eligible). The clinic needs proof of current enrollment. Otherwise, household income at or under 185% of the federal poverty guidelines (2026-05-11 to 2027-06-30): $29,526 a year for one, $40,034 for two, $50,542 for three, $61,050 for four. A pregnant woman counts as two (or more, for twins). Because anyone on MA qualifies the household, a family with a child or pregnant woman on MA (MA's limits for them are higher, 275% for children 2 to 18) can, by this site's reading, qualify above 185%; MA's limit for other adults is 133%. If proof of enrollment can't be checked at the visit, a clinic can certify for 30 days with one month of benefits (once only).
Residency and status: applicants must live in Minnesota and show proof of a physical address (a bill, license, mail, pay stub, lease, or a signed statement from a landlord, employer, shelter or social services worker); Safe at Home participants use their program address. Without it, 30 days of temporary eligibility with one month of benefits; the proof can be waived after a fire, theft or disaster, for migrant farmworker families, for homelessness and similar. US citizenship is not required.
Applicants also need proof of identity (a parent's for babies and children; a written statement if none exists), and a WIC health professional does a nutrition assessment at the certification visit; every applicant must be found at nutritional risk.
Apply: find a clinic at 1-800-WIC-4030, or use the state's online WIC application.
Free school meals, SUN Bucks and summer meals
Minnesota schools in the National School Lunch Program below a federal threshold must take part in the state's free school meals program, and schools above it can take part through the federal Community Eligibility Provision. At participating schools every student gets up to one free breakfast and one free lunch each school day. Schools must ban "lunch shaming", and a student eligible for free or reduced-price meals must always get a meal even with a debt.
SUN Bucks (summer 2026): $120 per eligible child ($40 a month for June to August) on a SUN Bucks EBT card for groceries.
- Automatic if, at any time from 2025-07-01 to 2026-08-31, the child was 7 to 17 in a household on MFIP, SNAP, Tribal TANF or FDPIR, or in foster care; or was any age at a participating school or early education program with an approved free or reduced-price meal application.
- By income: the free and reduced-price meal limits, $61,050 a year for four (2026-07-01 to 2027-06-30).
- Benefits expire 122 days after they become available and can't be replaced if lost, stolen or expired (a lost card can be). One benefit per child; from 2026, extra benefits spent must be repaid. Families eligible through a state program are told by letter, email or text; the card comes addressed to the child; set the PIN with ebtEDGE (888-997-2227).
- DCYF says SUN Bucks does not affect immigration status. The 2026 period has ended. Helpline: 651-431-4608.
Summer meals: children under 18 can eat free at summer meal sites (federal Summer Food Service Program); the Free Meals for Kids app finds them.
Food shelves (TEFAP)
The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) sends USDA food through Minnesota's five regional food banks to more than 350 food shelves, Tribal food programs, meal programs and shelters. The state also funds food shelves with yearly grants.
Who: anyone in Minnesota who says their household income is at or below 300% of the federal poverty guidelines. DCYF's page still shows the 2025 figures ($46,950 a year for one, $96,450 for four). What they can require: only a name, the number of children, adults and seniors, an optional zip code, and confirmation of income. They may ask for more, but no ID, proof of address or income, Social Security number, or proof of citizenship or immigration status can be required.
Rights: food is free, with no donation, payment or work; someone else can pick it up; language help; no discrimination; confidentiality; any food shelf in Minnesota without proving where you live or your nationality; choice of food. Complaints can go to the food program or the Food Helpline.
SNAP Employment and Training (SNAP E&T)
For SNAP recipients not on MFIP: an assessment and employment plan, supervised job search, job search training, education, work experience, workfare, self-employment training and job retention services, plus support services (such as transportation to activities) where needed and funds allow. Support services must be tied to an approved activity and can't pay for a regular job (except during job retention), help verify a time-limit exemption, or cover costs paid elsewhere.
In Minnesota it is voluntary for everyone; no one is required to join.
For adults under SNAP's time limit (18 to 64, not exempt): SNAP lasts only 3 months in 36 unless they live in a waived area, meet the work rule, regain eligibility or are exempt. Each month with 80 hours of work or countable activities earns a month. Countable: any work (including self-employment, in-kind and unpaid work), WIOA Title I, Trade Adjustment Assistance, and SNAP E&T education, work experience, workfare and self-employment training. Job search and job search training count only as less than half of the 80 hours, combined with other activities (unless also enrolled in WIOA, TAA or a veterans program).
DCYF runs it with DEED, through contracted providers, mainly with federal funds.
Not covered here
Senior food programs (commodity boxes, senior farmers market vouchers, home-delivered and congregate meals), Market Bucks, FDPIR, child care food programs, and how to find a SNAP E&T provider.