Table 2.

Federal aid programs targeting food insecurity.

Acronym	Full Name	Benefits	Eligible Groups
SNAP [74]	Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program	Financial assistance to purchase: •Fruits and vegetables •Meat/poultry/fish •Dairy products •Cereal and bread •Snacks •Seeds and plants	Anyone living in a household below a certain income and resource threshold (varies by state)
WIC [80]	Women, Infants, and Children	•Dietary supplements (fruits and vegetables, dairy products, canned fish, whole-wheat bread, and more) •Iron-fortified infant formula •Baby foods •Health screening •Nutrition and breastfeeding counseling •Substance abuse referral	•Pregnant, breastfeeding, and non-breastfeeding postpartum women •Infants •Toddlers and children up to 5 years old
TEFAP [81]	The Emergency Food Assistance Program	•Delivers nutritious foods to State Distributing Agencies •Foods (including eggs, meat, fruits and vegetables, dairy products, and grain products) then distributed to local agencies like food banks •Local organizations send food to households or prepare and serve meals in congregate setting	•Public or private nonprofit organizations that provide nutrition assistance to low-income Americans •Households meeting state eligibility criteria •Recipients of prepared meals
NSLP [82]	National School Lunch Program	•Nutritionally balanced, low-cost or no-cost lunches to children every school day •Training and technical assistance to school nutrition professionals •Web-based educational resources to teach children about nutrition and health	•Children who participate in federal aid programs like SNAP •Homeless, migrant, runaway, and foster children •Children from families at or below 130% of the federal poverty level (for free meals) or between 130 and 185% of the federal poverty level (for reduced price meals)