What is Food Insecurity?

May 23rd 2024

Dear Parents,

Here at the Pediatric Health Care Alliance, we strongly believe in advancing the health and wellbeing of our patients and families. We're here to offer support, encouragement, and education. As part of that commitment, we are sharing a list of community resources to raise awareness of local services and connect families with assistance that may support their needs.

Refer to the information below, which includes several resources in the Tampa Bay area that can help families alleviate hunger and address food insecurity concerns.

What is Food Insecurity?

What is Food Insecurity

Currently, 1 in 9 people in the United States struggle with hunger and food insecurity.

The USDA describes food insecurity as the "lack of access, at times, to enough food for an active, healthy lifestyle for all members of a given household, and limited or uncertain availability of nutritionally adequate foods".

Working families across America can face an unexpected event that may plunge a household into food insecurity. Layoffs at work, unexpected car maintenance, or emergency medical procedures are just some catalysts that can cause everyday people to go hungry.

Learn More:

Connections Between Food Insecurity and Health

WIC (Women, Infants & Children)

What is WIC?

WIC is a federally-funded nutrition program for Women, Infants, and Children and provides the following at no cost:

Healthy Foods
Nutrition Education and Counseling Breastfeeding Support
Referrals for Health Care

How to qualify for WIC

WIC is available to pregnant, breastfeeding, and postpartum women; infants, and children under 5 years of age. Fathers are welcomed to bring their children to apply for WIC. Legal guardians and/or foster parents of children under the age of 5 may apply on behalf of their child.

To be eligible for WIC, a family's gross income must not exceed those in the WIC Income Guidelines. You are income-eligible for WIC if you are currently receiving Medicaid, Temporary Cash Assistance (TCA), or Food Assistance.

Use the tool below to see if you are eligible for WIC

Eligibility & Applying for WIC Benefits

WIC Locations by County:

Hillsborough County

To schedule an appointment, call (800) 342-3556

Pinellas County

To schedule an appointment, call (727) 824-6913

Pasco County

To schedule an appointment, call (800) 342-3556

Food Banks & Food Pantries

A food bank is a non-profit that collects, stores and distributes food to hunger-relief charities, while a food pantry is a community distribution center where hungry families can go to directly receive food.

All communities across America have families that face food insecurity. Federal nutrition programs don't reach all families in need, so our local food banks and food pantries are here to help fill the gap.

Finding Food Assistance

Numerous organizations across Tampa Bay are helping food insecure families through food pantries, soup kitchens and more.

To find food assistance locally, use the search tool below:

Search for Local Food Pantries

Feeding Tampa Bay serves the greater Tampa Bay area and offers numerous resources to bring food to hungry families.

Available programs include a mobile pantry, mobile market, and Trinity Cafe, a full-service restaurant that serves healthy, hot meals daily, free of charge.

View their visit schedule and learn more about Feeding Tampa Bay below:

Feeding Tampa Bay - Food Assistance Programs

Summer BreakSpot is another resource that offers no-cost meals and snacks for kids under 18 years of age during the summer months.

Find a free Summer BreakSpot near you:

Summer BreakSpot