Food & Basic Needs
Coalition for the Homeless - Grand Central Food Program
Manhattan
Nightly meals and essentials at 20+ mobile stops in Manhattan and the Bronx.
Food & Basic Needs in Manhattan
Food help includes food pantries, soup kitchens, free community meals and help signing up for SNAP. Most pantries don't ask for ID or proof of income, though some only serve people who live nearby.
Tip: check hours or call ahead before you go. Many pantries are open only on certain days, and some run out early.
Many citywide organizations also have their main offices in Manhattan, so a short subway ride can widen your options.
16 services based in Manhattan, plus 11 citywide
Based in Manhattan
Food & Basic Needs
Food Bank For New York City - Community Kitchen
Manhattan
Food pantry/soup kitchen locator, SNAP help; Community Kitchen groceries Tue-Thu and hot meals Mon/Wed/Fri 4-6 (ID required).
Employment & Job Training
Hot Bread Kitchen
Manhattan
Free culinary workforce training, small business incubation and food entrepreneurship support for women, immigrants and people of color.
Housing & Shelter
Coalition for the Homeless
Manhattan
Crisis Intervention Program: help getting emergency shelter, benefits and permanent housing; referrals to treatment, job training and eviction prevention. Does not run shelters.
Food & Basic Needs
Riverside Church - Social Services
Manhattan
Food pantry Tue-Fri 9-1 (arrive by 12:30), free casual clothing and professional attire, and emergency assistance for people in crisis.
Housing & Shelter
The Bowery Mission
Manhattan
Faith-based services for homeless and hungry New Yorkers: meals, clothing, showers, haircuts, shelter, medical care, legal referrals, residential recovery, transitional housing, vocational training and employment services.
Employment & Job Training
Forging Ahead for Community Empowerment and Support (FACES) - STARS
Manhattan
Offers free vocational services, academic counseling and tutoring, and mentorship for anyone who has had involvement with the criminal legal system. Also provides anger management, substance use treatment and counseling, Narcan training, child support payment reduction assistance, HIV/HCV/STI testing, a food pantry, a clothes bank, and enrollment help for health insurance and SNAP.
Food & Basic Needs
Holy Apostles Soup Kitchen
Manhattan
Meals Mon-Fri 10:30am-12:30pm, grocery pantry Tue-Thu (registration required), benefits help, computer classes, healthcare referrals.
Food & Basic Needs
Cathedral Community Cares
Manhattan
Community outreach program of the Cathedral of St. John the Divine offering food assistance and other community support services.
Housing & Shelter
MainChance Drop-In Center (Grand Central Neighborhood Social Services)
Manhattan
Drop-in center for single adults with chairs, three meals a day, free showers (Mon-Fri 8:30-10:30), clothing, medical services, social work, housing vouchers and help finding permanent housing. Open 24/7.
Healthcare
African Services Committee
Manhattan
Health care, immigration legal help and food pantry for African immigrants.
Housing & Shelter
Catholic Charities of New York
Manhattan · Bronx · Staten Island
Emergency food, housing help, immigration services and case management; serves all faiths.
Food & Basic Needs
West Side Campaign Against Hunger
Manhattan
Customer-choice food pantry with benefits screening on the Upper West Side.
Citywide services
These serve people from every borough, often by phone, online or at more than one office.
Food & Basic Needs
Food Help NYC
Citywide
Online directory of free food locations including pantries and soup kitchens by diet.
Benefits & Financial Help
NYC HRA - SNAP (Food Stamps)
Citywide
Monthly food benefits on a debit card for people with limited income.
Food & Basic Needs
GrowNYC
Citywide
Runs Greenmarket farmers markets, farmstands and Fresh Food Box sites across all five boroughs; locations accept EBT.
Housing & Shelter
Thrive for Life Prison Project
Citywide
A faith-based organization offering housing, continuity-of-care support, and education for formerly incarcerated individuals at Abraham House and Ignacio House. Residents can access scholarships to partnering colleges and job-readiness and career-development support, plus help finding permanent affordable housing; a food pantry operates Saturdays at its Bronx location (340 Willis Avenue).
Food & Basic Needs
City Harvest - Mobile Markets
Citywide
Free fresh produce distributions in neighborhoods across NYC.
Food & Basic Needs
Hunger Free America - National Hunger Hotline
Citywide
Hotline that finds nearby food help and assists with SNAP and WIC.
Food & Basic Needs
NY WIC Program
Citywide
Healthy food, formula and nutrition help for pregnant people, new parents and kids under 5.
Benefits & Financial Help
NYC Aging (Department for the Aging)
Citywide
Older adult centers, meals, caregiver help and case management.
Healthcare
NYC Health Climate and Health
Citywide
As a result of climate change, extreme weather events such as heat waves, heavy rainfall, and storms are occurring more frequently and becoming more dangerous—increasing the risk of illness, injury, or death.
Food & Basic Needs
NYC WIC Program
Citywide
Healthy food, formula and nutrition help for pregnant people, new parents and children under 5.
Housing & Shelter
The Salvation Army Greater New York
Citywide
Shelters, food programs, and adult rehabilitation (residential work therapy) centers.