A number of food banks, soup kitchens for hot meals and free emergency food pantries in Macon, North Carolina distribute groceries to individuals or families who are in some form of an emergency situation.
There are also meals, free bags of food, personal toiletries and household goods for low to moderate income families from food pantries near you.
Distribution centers can include churches, non-profit organizations, community action agencies, and many other local charities as well as non-profits.
Salvation Army Food Pantry
The Salvation Army is dedicated to eliminating food insecurity.
The Salvation Army operates free local food banks around Macon, North Carolina from almost all of their local social service centers. The charity organization is involved in feeding millions of families each year, with a large percentage of those assisted being children as well as the elderly.
We have located 0 Salvation Army Food Pantry locations in Macon, North Carolina which provides a wide array of services. We have partnered so you can also check your eligibility.
Church Food Pantry
A number of churches around Macon, North Carolina have food pantries for those in their neighborhoods who are in need of food items.
Churches operate with food donations gathered and deliver to the food pantry nearest you by individuals using food drives.
Some churches also deliver food items to elderly who are unable to drive to a nearest community food pantry. Please contact your local church directly.
We have located 1 Church Food Pantry locations in Macon, North Carolina which provides a wide array of services. We have partnered so you can also check your eligibility.
Franklin Seventh-day Adventist Church
The Seventh-day Adventist Community Service Center is a volunteer staffed, nonprofit, faith-based ministry serving Macon County. We provide food, clothing, bedding, and financial assistance for those in need.
Services provided :
- food pantry
- clothing
- financial assistance
Appointments :
You can privately and easily book your appointment online for select services 24/7. For the full set of services, you can call (828) 369-9000 to book your appointment.
Address :
71 Brendle Rd,
Franklin, NC 28734.
Get Directions
Hours Of Operations :
- Mon: 10:00 AM - 02:00 PM
- Tues: Closed
- Wed: Closed
- Thurs: 10:00 AM - 02:00 PM
- Fri: Closed
- Sat: Closed
- Sun: Closed
Help Residents of Counties:
- Macon
Catholic Charities Food Pantry
Resources provided by the Catholic Charity organization focus on addressing food, holiday, and immigration needs.
Families of all religions, backgrounds, and cultures can contact Catholic Charity centers for help.
Catholic Charities in Macon, North Carolina are open to families on a first-come, first-serve basis. The centers operate during normal business hours, and provide walk-ins with groceries, food boxes, and items to prepare a meal.
The food pantries are like grocery stores, allow clients the ability to choose the items they need from the groceries that are available on site.
First-time clients of the food pantry will need to apply, and this is done from a one-page application. An applicant will need to provide basic household member as well as demographic information.
We have located 1 Catholic Charities Food Pantry locations in Macon, North Carolina which provides a wide array of services. We have partnered so you can also check your eligibility.
St. Francis of Assisi Roman Catholic Church Food Pantry
St. Francis food pantry provides emergency help for those members of our community who cannot provide food for themselves. Volunteers give their time to stock shelves, purchase groceries, donate garden produce and work in the pantry during the open hours: Patient, forgiving, kind, nonjudgmental, caring, understanding and loving describes these volunteers.
Services provided :
- food pantry
Appointments :
You can privately and easily book your appointment online for select services 24/7. For the full set of services, you can call (828) 524-2289 to book your appointment.
Address :
299 Maple St,
Franklin, NC 28734.
Get Directions
Hours Of Operations :
- Mon:
- Tues:
- Wed:
- Thurs:
- Fri:
- Sat:
- Sun:
Help Residents of Cities:
- Franklin
Help Residents of Counties:
- Macon
Helping Hands Food Pantry
Helping Hands is a faith-based 501(c)(3) food pantry operated around Macon, North Carolina almost entirely by volunteers.
It provides a 7-day supply of groceries and personal care items free of charge to people in need, regardless of their religious beliefs.
Helping Hands is supported entirely by donations from individuals, service organizations, churches, and businesses in our community.
Find a local helping hands food pantry open near you.
We have located 0 Helping Hand Food Pantry locations in Macon, North Carolina which provides a wide array of services. We have partnered so you can also check your eligibility.
Mobile Food Pantry
The mobile food pantry program distributes food directly to families in communities around Macon, North Carolina in need during large-scale one-day distributions.
A typical mobile pantry serves 200-250 families distributing up to 10,000 pounds of food. This past year over 6.6 million pounds were distributed through this program.
Mobile food pantries usually visit churches, community centers, schools, shopping centers, and other convenient locations. They usually go to areas where there aren't grocery stores or other food pantries.
Mobile Food Pantry Schedule 2024
Unlike traditional food pantries where you go to them, mobile pantry trucks come to you. Food banks sometimes have an online mobile food pantry schedule.
Mobile food pantry scheduled to visit a community once a week or once a month. There may be last-minute cancellations or changes so recheck the mobile food pantry schedule before you plan to go.
We have located 0 Mobile Food Pantry locations in Macon, Model.Content.StateName which provides a wide array of services. We have partnered so you can also check your eligibility.
St. Vincent de Paul Food Pantry
The St. Vincent de Paul food pantry operates around Macon, North Carolina much like a grocery store where people in need can choose their own food. It helps to enhance their personal dignity and reduces waste due to unwanted food items.
It also helps them to be proactive in addressing any underlying health issues. This is our model of choice for food pantries in the future.
We have located 0 St. Vincent de Paul Food Pantry locations in Macon, North Carolina which provides a wide array of services. We have partnered so you can also check your eligibility.
Food Pantry Delivery Program
Food Pantry Delivery Program delivers food and other products once a month at twenty points in around Macon, North Carolina area. This makes it just a bit easier for some of more remote rural agencies to receive their products. About 70% of members take advantage of the Food Pantry Delivery Program.
Food Pantry
We have located 5 Food Pantry locations in Macon, North Carolina which provides a wide array of services. We have partnered so you can also check your eligibility.
YMCA of Western North Carolina
The Healthy Living Pantry (HLP) is a resource to families in Asheville and surrounding communities who need temporary food assistance. The goal of our pantry is to provide food assistance and create lifelong healthy eating habits by providing fresh produce, whole grains, low-fat dairy, and lean protein. Cooking demonstrations include ingredients offered in the pantry that week so participants learn how best to cook the food they receive. Nutrition and cooking demonstrations start at 4:35pm on scheduled nights and distribution is 5pm–6:30pm.
For more information please contact Lisa Riggsbee, healthy living manager-nutrition programs, at lriggsbee@ymcawnc.org or 828 775 7081.
Services provided :
- emergency food
- food pantry
- nutrition education
Appointments :
You can privately and easily book your appointment online for select services 24/7. For the full set of services, you can call (828) 775-7081 to book your appointment.
Address :
201 Beaverdam Rd,
Asheville, NC 28804.
Get Directions
Hours Of Operations :
- Mon: 08:00 AM - 05:00 PM
- Tues: 08:00 AM - 05:00 PM
- Wed: 08:00 AM - 05:00 PM
- Thurs: 08:00 AM - 05:00 PM
- Fri: 08:00 AM - 05:00 PM
- Sat: Closed
- Sun: Closed
Help Residents of Counties:
- Alexander
- Alleghany
- Ashe
- Avery
- Buncombe
- Burke
- Caldwell
- Catawba
- Cherokee
- Clay
- Cleveland
- Graham
- Haywood
- Henderson
- Jackson
- Macon
- Madison
- Mcdowell
- Mitchell
- Polk
- Rutherford
- Stokes
- Surry
- Swain
- Transylvania
- Watauga
- Wilkes
- Yancey
Loving Food Resources
Loving Food Resources provides food, health and personal care items to people in 18 counties of Western North Carolina who are living with HIV/AIDS or who are in home hospice care with any diagnosis.
Services provided :
- food pantry
- personal care items
Appointments :
You can privately and easily book your appointment online for select services 24/7. For the full set of services, you can call (828) 255-9282 to book your appointment.
Address :
,
San Diego, CA 92109.
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Hours Of Operations :
- Mon: 08:00 AM - 05:00 PM
- Tues: 08:00 AM - 05:00 PM
- Wed: 08:00 AM - 05:00 PM
- Thurs: 08:00 AM - 05:00 PM
- Fri: 08:00 AM - 05:00 PM
- Sat: Closed
- Sun: Closed
Help Residents of Counties:
- Avery
- Buncombe
- Burke
- Cherokee
- Clay
- Graham
- Haywood
- Henderson
- Jackson
- Macon
- Madison
- Mcdowell
- Mitchell
- Polk
- Rutherford
- Swain
- Transylvania
- Watauga
- Yancey
Macon County Care Network
The CareNet Food Pantry is available during our hours of assistance (Monday Friday: 10AM-1PM). This program also provides perishable food resource to families based on availability. * Pantry Food boxes are distributed based on number of members in the household.
Services provided :
- food pantry
Appointments :
You can privately and easily book your appointment online for select services 24/7. For the full set of services, you can call (828) 369-2642 to book your appointment.
Address :
,
San Diego, CA 92109.
Get Directions
Hours Of Operations :
- Mon: 09:00 AM - 04:00 PM
- Tues: 09:00 AM - 04:00 PM
- Wed: 09:00 AM - 04:00 PM
- Thurs: 09:00 AM - 04:00 PM
- Fri: 09:00 AM - 04:00 PM
- Sat: Closed
- Sun: Closed
Help Residents of Counties:
- Macon
Macon County CareNet
Through food assistance programs, we strive to meet the nourishment needs of Macon County, NC residents who are unable to provide for themselves due to crisis. We show the love of Jesus to our clients, attend to their emotional and spiritual needs, help to preserve their dignity, and nurture their potential. Our efforts are targeted at those for whom government or other forms of food assistance is not available. With the support of churches, local agencies, businesses and individuals, we aspire to be a central location to better serve the needs of the community without duplication of services. Operating weekly (M-F) from 10am-1pm, the CareNet Choice Food Pantry resembles that of a small grocery store with fresh produce displays. Products are displayed on shelving in the pantry, with aisles labeled for the product type and amount for which guests may choose from. Guests are then provided 2 complimentary reusable grocery totes for carrying their items home. All guests are asked to return with their totes and/or an approved alternative for receiving groceries at their next visit. Client choice food pantries provide great benefits to not only the guests being served, but also the ministry! Choosing their own food gives guests a sense of control and decision making, rather than helplessness of being provided a "made-to-order" box of items. Since many guests tend to not take food they won't use, relatively little of what a client-choice food pantry distributes goes to waste. In conserving foods that typically would otherwise be disposed of, the ministry saves in overall food costs and can be sure that what goes out is of use to the families being served. Food resource for low-income families. Operates Monday - Friday from 10AM - 1PM. Food. Fellowship. Family. These three words embody the service provided through the CareNet Soup Cafe. Lunch is served weekly (M-F) 10am-1pm for guests visiting CareNet for assistance. The Cafe serves those who are homeless, five days a week.
Services provided :
- food pantry
Appointments :
You can privately and easily book your appointment online for select services 24/7. For the full set of services, you can call (828) 369-2642 to book your appointment.
Address :
130 Bidwell St,
Franklin, NC 28734.
Get Directions
Hours Of Operations :
- Mon:
- Tues:
- Wed:
- Thurs:
- Fri:
- Sat:
- Sun:
Help Residents of Cities:
- Franklin
Help Residents of Counties:
- Macon
CBC Food Assistance Program
Our CBC Food Assistance Program is supported by our caring and compassionate church family. Through our Food Assistance Program we are able to assist the CBC Church families in need through meals in times of need.
Services provided :
- food pantry
Appointments :
You can privately and easily book your appointment online for select services 24/7. For the full set of services, you can call (828) 526-4685 to book your appointment.
Address :
3645 Cashiers Rd,
Highlands, NC 28741.
Get Directions
Hours Of Operations :
- Mon:
- Tues:
- Wed:
- Thurs:
- Fri:
- Sat:
- Sun:
Help Residents of Cities:
- Highlands
Help Residents of Counties:
- Macon
Drive-thru Food Pantries
Since the start of the coronavirus, drive-thru food pantries have become the safest, most efficient way to provide food to our struggling neighbors.
Who can visit a drive-thru pantry?
Drive-thru pantries are open for anyone who needs help getting food. There are no eligibility criteria. Visitors do not need to provide any identification or income statements.
Only two piece of information is asked
- You Zipcode, and
- Number of people in their family.
You dont need to take appointment. Drive-thru pantries are first-come, first served so plan to arrive early.
How do drive-thru pantries actually work?
There are lot of volunteers help at Drive-thru food pantries. While not all drive-thru pantries operate in the same way, here�s how most work:
Staff and volunteers direct visitors to the parking area.
Visitors pull up to the pantry in their car and are usually guided into a clearly marked queue. As people move through the pantry, staff will continue to move the cars forward to get everyone through as quickly and safely as possible.
Checkin.
You are required to fill some information for Pantry's recording keeping.
Food is loaded into the cars.
Pre-packed bags of food, usually full of shelf-stable items like pasta, canned fruit and peanut butter, as well as fresh produce and meats are loaded by volunteers into the trunk of the car.
Pet Food Pantry
One in four pet owners who give up their pets to a shelter say it is because they cannot afford to care for them. Pet Food Pantries are designed to fill the void in the nation�s current assistance programs that exclude the purchase of food and supplies for family pets.
The Pet Food Pantry provides free pet food, for 3 months or less, to pet owners who cannot afford to feed their pets in Macon, North Carolina
Who are eligible for Pet Food Pantry
Pet Food Pantry helps people who are:
- All ages, races and marital status
- Unemployed or underemployed
- Retired, living on social security or other limited income
- Physically or mentally disabled
- Experiencing homelessness or housing instability
Tips for Visiting a Food Pantry
Show up early.
This is very important. This means you will be first in line and have a chance to get the items that are sought after and in limited quantities such as fresh produce, dairy and frozen food.
You don't usually need to show up hours ahead of time but coming at least an hour before is usually a good idea.
Remember all documentation.
Many food pantries require documentation to prove who you are, and in some cases, where you live.
This is to make sure people are not coming more than they are allowed or using fake names to do so. Call ahead of time to find out what documentation is needed.
It's just your photo ID and a piece of mail that verifies your address.
Use several food banks.
Using more than one food bank (when available) is smart because you may be able to get something at one that you may not get at another.
For instance, one may have a deal with a local gardener that gives them their extras. This may mean this food bank has more produce.
Eligible for other programs?
Ask your Department of Social Services office if you are eligible for other assistance programs to supplement your household’s food supply.
They can easily tell you if you can apply for WIC (Women and Infant Children), USDA Commodities or SNAP(Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) benefits.
Ask about extras.
If you have special needs for infants or special diets, the pantries may be able to assist you.
Many times, they can help with diapers, baby formula, baby food, personal hygiene products, and even special diet items like gluten free or sugar free foods.
Go on different days of the week.
Depending on the food pantry, they may be open only one or two days a week or they may be open all seven days. When you have a choice, going midweek is often best as it is less crowded.
Be polite to workers.
Nearly everyone at a food bank is a volunteer. Be polite to the workers there as they often deal with highly emotional situations.
FAQ(Frequently Asked Questions)
1. What is the difference between a food bank and a food pantry?
Independent community food pantries are self-governing and usually distribute food to their clients on a once-a-month basis. A food bank is the storehouse for millions of pounds of food and other products that go out to the community. A food pantry functions as the arms that reach out to that community directly.
2. What kind of food is at a food pantry?
Specifically, food banks often need items like:
- Peanut butter
- Canned soup
- Canned fruit
- Canned vegetables
- Pasta
- Canned beans
- Canned stew
- Canned fish
3. Who can go to food pantry?
At the majority of food pantries, eligibility is based on self-attested need. You do not need to have a referral, and income is not a factor to receive food.
4. What is the difference between a food pantry and a soup kitchen?
A food pantry provides three-day food packages to families that have a place to live, but not enough food. These packages are designed to provide nutritionally balanced meals. Soup kitchens serve individuals in need of a hot meal, the only meal of the day for many of them.
5. How does a food pantry work?
Food Banks acquire large donations of edible but unmarketable food from the food industry and distribute it to organizations that feed hungry people. Then they provide this food to family in a need.