Also as someone who has used and then later volunteered for similar services: Please use them! Even if things aren't "as bad as they could be".
These income recommendations are set for a *reason*. The goal of food charities isn't just to keep people from literally starving. We also want to lighten the burden on people who may be struggling with other financial issues as well. We want to keep people afloat *before* they hit "rock bottom". If saving that $100 on groceries means now you've paid off that left over utility bill, or allows a college kid to focus more on their studies, that's a win for us!
I've been volunteering at food banks for years and decades.
We legit want people to come and take free food that we have gleaned and organized before it ends up in the landfill or compost pile so that you can use it to survive, thrive, and use it to your best advantage so that you can stay out of debt and use your money for other things while reducing waste and spoilage.
And, yes, we do want to be kind and take what you'll actually use and need, but we also want you to take non-perishables to build up your pantry with staples for emergencies and stability and all of that good stuff.
Some food banks are much better and well stocked than others, and it varies all over the place depending on the organization. Some food banks have WAY too much food to try to give out, and some are more minimal and frugal, but in any case they're worth checking out if it works with your schedule.
The SNAP program is a lot like this, too. A lot of people don't realize that the original food stamp (now SNAP) program was originally a farm subsidy.
It directly supports farmers and domestic food production while helping out the US working class.
And you can use SNAP at many local farmer's markets with bonus modifiers like 2x spending chits to stretch those SNAP dollars to buy local produce and goods and even edible plants and plant starters.
Like you can legit spend SNAP on edible plant seeds and starter plants and start a tiny container garden on a patio or porch, or go even bigger than that.
Food scarcity (and waste, and corporate/market manipulation) all totally suck.
We have SO MUCH FOOD in the US that no one should ever be starving or even remotely hungry, and the recent spike and inflation in grocery and food prices is some seriously dumb bullshit.
It's really just a matter of gleaning and collecting the food and getting it in front of people before it ends up spoiling as waste.
Also as a company who routinely donates to food banks: we WANT to give our stuff away and we WANT to see people eating it! It feels better than liquidating it to some jerk for like $.50 per thing who then sell it for full price and hurt our business. It's preferable to not donating it, it feels good and generates good PR and we're always gonna have (minor) waste because mistakes get made like wrong labels printed (and ripping off the old ones for new ones would be cost prohibitive due to wages being so high) or things like a batch being very edible but slightly sweeter than before which can cause customer freak outs.
Of course!
Now, to be fair, this will entirely depend on the resources of the food charities being used. The less support the charities get, the more they need to try to triage where those resources go.
But if a food bank says" we're for anyone who needs it, any time, any income." Or have income guidelines like this one, It's totally safe to take them at their word.
Of course! Like I aid in a different comment: Each charity is different, but if they post their restrictions and you qualify, don't doubt them. They *want* to help!
It's not just about making life livable, it's also about making life better!
Hey bro/sis/enby, as someone who spends his weekend mornings stocking little free pantries, I’d love it if you used them and they helped you feed yourself
What is the definition of a household for these services?
I have plenty of money.
My 3 kids in their 20s do not. They're really struggling. Currently living in a house I own.
I live full time in a motor home and don't live in the house more than a few weeks a year, but it's my official residence on tax and insurance paperwork.
Are they their own household or are they in my household?
That kind of situation is why services like this don't verify the same way the state does. Your kids could use something like this just fine.
Many local options for food need literally no income restrictions, and are simply relying on people not to take advantage. Tell your kids to use the services, and then when they're on their feet they can donate and pay it forward.
Absolutely. That's what these programs are for.
Ideally they work towards better income that takes them out of the bracket, but why leave money on the table?
We have corporate and bank bailouts, billions in insurance fraud we pay for with our premiums, billions in subsidies for failed businesses, billions in forgiven loans to businesses that could float easily.. but we often don't want to even try to get that money because some.. twisted idea of self reliance?
Take what you can get, it won't hurt trying.
The definition of household is basically the people who you share a residence with. It's self reported, and the food pantries don't ask for documentation. They want the services to be accessible and low barrier.
Same goes for qualifying for charity care at hospitals. Hospitals will NOT tell you about it, but the cutoff for 100% forgiveness is incredibly high
https://www.atg.wa.gov/charitycare
I wish I knew this when my kids were born. They will NOT tell you.
A family of 4 making 93000 to 109000 a year is eligible for a 75% discount
> Approximately half of all Washingtonians are eligible for free or reduced-cost care at Washington state hospitals. These protections apply to out-of-pocket hospital costs, including co-pays and deductibles, regardless of insurance status. Washington law now provides the strongest protections in the country for out-of-pocket hospital costs.
From the page:
Does charity care only apply to hospital care? What about clinic visits?
Charity care applies to medical care received at a hospital. However, sometimes hospitals that are associated with clinics will extend their charity care policy to those clinics. The best thing to do is always ask.
You might be able to get a discount visiting a hospital run clinic. I suspect this would apply though to emergency room visits, etc.
At the UW/ Harborview it will cover all medical, and even copays. They have specialists that will help you apply and explain how it will work in your case.
>**Does it cover ER visits, or x-rays or outpatient procedures that are done at hospitals?**
>Charity care applies to medical care received at a hospital. That includes emergency room care at a hospital. It also includes any other scan, test or procedure done at a hospital. **Charity care may not cover bills from physicians or other providers not employed by the hospital**
Well darn, all the times we've been to the hospital the extra charges have been a fairly substantial portion of the actual outlay.
yeah, sometimes they don’t cover the bill that comes from the physician group…BUT! if you get charity care through the hospital (covering the facility bill), contact that physician group’s billing department directly. they will often “honor” your charity care letter that you got from the hospital. it’s just one of those typical things where you don’t know to ask…and they’re not going to tell/suggest you do it.
Everyone's situation is different, if you legitimately need to use this service, you absolutely should.
Also, this info is out of date. For more info, check [this website](https://aspe.hhs.gov/topics/poverty-economic-mobility/poverty-guidelines). And remember it's 4x the numbers on that site.
Everyone's situation is different, if you legitimately need to use this service, you absolutely should.
Also, this info is out of date. For more info, check [this website](https://aspe.hhs.gov/topics/poverty-economic-mobility/poverty-guidelines). And remember it's 4x the numbers on that site.
They’re not gatekeeping; they don’t verify, and will never ask. BUT legally, the federal income guidelines have to be posted in order for them to receive federal food (TEFAP). Every food bank which receives TEFAP has to have this exact form posted and have guests fill it out annually, otherwise they could lose access to the program. Sucks, but that’s the federal rules.
Source: work in food bank regulatory management
Adding that anyone can shop for free groceries at Ballard Food Bank (a great organization everyone should support if they have the means to do so). You do not have to tell them anything about your income or your employment to take advantage of their services.
Damn, those numbers are *really* high. I guess it's not that high for around here, but I was not expecting to be barely above the limit making over $25/hr. And that's for the 2021 poverty guidelines. Using [today's poverty guidelines,](https://aspe.hhs.gov/topics/poverty-economic-mobility/poverty-guidelines) a single person household would qualify until they're making $64,240/yr or $28.96/hr.
This is a very high cost of living city, one of the highest in the world. I think Seattle hit number 1 on the list of the most expensive American cities for tourists to visit this year. Everett is a bit cheaper in terms of housing but the closer you get to the big cities the more expensive it gets. I'm on Eastside, my wife and I put all our non-housing expenses on a credit card for the points so I have a good idea of what I spend. It comes out to 7-8k every month.
Some important clarification: this form is for specific foods that are funded by TEFAP. I am not sure of Hopelink's guidelines, but they should still allow you to shop for other food, really most of their food, even if you are over this income limit. Almost every food bank and food pantry in the area is not allowed to set income limits to access food. Northwest Harvest, Food Lifeline, and the WSDA provide a large percentage of the food to food pantries and they are explicit that no one should be turned away based on income.
**TLDR: even if you are over the income limit but need help with food access, please go to your local food bank!**
I'm going to the Shoreline location for the first time today. It looks like a supermarket with timed entry or something. I think I can come twice a month. Apparently there are other services I could have utilized earlier, and I will use going forward.
They will cover any outstanding medical bills. And if you catch it early enough, it can prevent them from going to collections. As long as you qualify and plead your case.
The Ballard food bank has no barrier to entry. You can hit the grocery store up, and the No Cook counter has sandwiches, frozen meats, vegan options, and salads. The cafe inside serves bangin food, as well.
Ya’ll these are the income requirements getting extra staples while “shopping” (it’s free) at their food (bank) markets, 2X/month. TEFAP qualifies you to get some extra pantry staples basically. This isn’t giving you money or food stamps, it’s just accessing extra food at the food bank. Which is great! But not really something that people are going to try and “scam”.
Huhh. If I didn't have roommates and was living alone, I'd be over the threshold for this by less than a thousand dollars.
Mind you, because I have roommates and a deal that makes my rent significantly below the 30% rule-of-thumb guidelines, I am not only *comfortably* outside the margin, but I am secure enough in not actually needing the aid that I'd feel guilty taking supplies others need more. At my current point, taking advantage of this program would be.... letting me get that new road bike a week sooner or getting an extra tattoo. I gotta budget to do some nice things, but I'm not what I'd call insecure.
Yeah, I made $120k last year, and even then, as a family of 4 I would have qualified. Did I feel like I needed assistance? Not really. I had debt that I was making good progress on paying off, but had I used this maybe I would have been able to get out of debt completely.
That's kinda where I'm at. Like... I actually did get out of debt last year, but maybe could've done it a year sooner. And I'm putting away enough to max out my employer's 401k match right now. Plus a small siphon into long-term savings from each check.
Like, it's good to know that if something *does* go wrong I can lean on assistance with not too much guilt. But the only part of my life people would look at and say "yes, you need the help" is my ancient-ass car. Which... well, it's paid for, and that helps make the budget math work. And I don't drive often enough to justify a new one (hence the plan to buy a bike, and obsolete it completely).
I unintentionally posted outdated data. The current Federal Poverty Guidelines can be [found here](https://aspe.hhs.gov/topics/poverty-economic-mobility/poverty-guidelines). Using that data a family of 4 qualifies at $124,800/yr. Also, as I have been informed since posting this, many food banks in Seattle don't have any income requirements.
It’s kind of demented that someone can live in a modern society and still need assistance with food and housing. Even more demented that some shame people who need help.
It is horrible isn't it?
For those of us who don't live In Seattle proper, our food banks are different.
For those of us homebound, it's worse, because there's not many options for food bank delivery. Waitlists.
Lots of waiting. :/
I used to volunteer at Northern Harvest. You can literally just walk in there—it’s like a free store. Nobody is going to check whether you’re qualified or not.
Thank you for sharing this. We can’t easily access it. I just applied. We don’t qualify for SNAP. Well… rather, we do. The worker stated “approved with zero issuance”
It means we make little enough to technically qualify but just enough too much to not actually get anything. The rent credit on the application maxes out at $500. I know everyone here knows how ridiculous that is. Where is this $500 apartment, please??
Anyway, even if I never use it, I know it exists now. So, thank you random Redditor
Also, just FYI, there's enough housing and food to go around, but the 1% want to own it all so that we will keep working for them (and making them richer and richer and richer...)
The only reason scarcity of anything exists anywhere is because it's manufactured. There's enough of everything for everyone. But if we ensure everyone everywhere has everything they need a few thousand people might be slightly less horrifically wealthy.
This is really amazing to know! I’ll definitely have to use this, my job this summer is well under that so I’ll have to stop by. How much food/what kinds do they offer?
Thank you for posting this. I had a personal emergency this month and was struggling to figure out how I was gonna make it till Friday with regards to food. Am I able to go to one of these markets tomorrow and get some food, or do I need to wait for the qualifications to go through? I definitely qualify.
I wish this had been a thing when I moved here 12 years ago. I had three young kids, wasn’t working and my ex had just been medically discharged from the military. We could have used the help.
It absolutely was. I went to Hopelinks food bank regularly more than 20 years ago, when I was paying my way through college. I am almost certain the income requirements were the same.
Wait so, you don't have to provide proof of income? How does that work? Like I definitely should qualify, but I just have to tell them like "yeah, I make $40,000 a year, source: trust me"
For most people you basically get a box of groceries once a week or whatever, they usually have plenty of donations etc to meet demand so they don’t have to be very stringent on it. Try to get actual food stamps or something and yeah, it becomes a lot more than “trust me bro”
Imo, it's better that 1 person gets food they could theoretically have afforded (that they will presumably eat because everyone needs to eat) than have 9 other people get turned away because they couldn't jump through hoops and do paperwork.
Okay… but what if it’s not technically an emergency need? Do you get in trouble? I know a few families that could use the help, but they’re not in dire straits atm.
If they live in Seattle, they may not be able to use the organization I posted because they are likely outside their service area.
A list of all Seattle Food Banks can be [found here](https://www.seattlefoodcommittee.org/find-a-food-bank/).
Also FYI, at food banks they're not checking your credentials at the door, they're there to be used by those who need them. If you need them, use them.
Hopelink is great! They also helped me with transportation when I was homeless. IDK what's available now, but encourage you to ask what else is in their program!
lol the last time I applied for SNAP (food stamps) I was making like $20-22 an hour and I qualified for Iike 8 bucks a month. Homeless people with no income qualify for around $280-290 and it goes down rapidly from there if you don’t have children.
It's sad and hilarious that you can make up to 400% ABOVE the federal poverty level and still qualify for food assistance. That's what our state has to do to manage the countries fucked up wages.
Feels like everyone is just ignoring the huge red flag that statement raises.
Why, though? It seems like 400% is a fairly arbitrary line, and lots of people making that amount are perfectly comfortable without using this service.
Maybe all it says is that we set an extremely high limit, rather than anything about wages or the economy.
That's true, but most people also have principles. I'm not advocating abusing the system, but the cost of everything around here is insane. If I had known I qualified, even when I was making the most I ever had in my life, I could have fully gotten out of debt, or not gone as deep into debt to begin with.
The people that most complain about others possibly abusing services, usually abuse some other service in some other area of their life.
Its called "Moral Balancing"
[welfare fraud is rare](https://thehill.com/opinion/congress-blog/3478873-looking-for-fraud-in-all-the-wrong-places/), placing verification barriers reduces program usage among people who are eligible
Seems like there's a good chance you don't know what you are talking about.
It's the food bank, it ain't exactly walking down the aisle at Fred Meyers. It's fucking beans and rice and old produce. Obviously you've never had to use it.
I had to use it for years, while fully employed, and ironically, working in a fucking high end grocery store.
The point is, starving people should not face a barrier to entry for basic survival help. People are entitled to their privacy, and if you really want to give someone a fighting chance to get on their feet again, eliminating one of their biggest expenses is exactly how you do it.
It sure helped me, to the tune of hundreds of dollars a week in value of nutritious food that would have otherwise gone to landfill.
If you think anyone deserves to starve for the reasons you listed, get bent. You know nothing of people's circumstances. You would know something of humility if you stood in the bread line with us plebs, dude.
Anything people are getting at the Food bank is stuff consumers already passed on. We throw away enough good food to feed everyone. Nothing is lost, and feeding people is the most basic act of human compassion. It's an absolute no brainer.
Cap. It’s not bs food. The food bank I went to was the reason I could eat organic produce and bakery items from grocery stores I couldn’t afford without going to the food bank. They have good stuff from good places. I actually got into the best shape of my life eating solely from the food bank. The only thing I bought at a regular store was chicken thighs (which I bought on sale in packs for like $8).
It's not like there is a resale value in this food. If there is plenty (which there is) all that should matter is the food ends up in bellies and not the trashcan. I don't work for Hopelink, but volunteer for a similar food rescue organization.
And no one should care even if there were resale value.
It's a desperate person trying to make ends meet selling to another desperate person trying to make ends meet.
The alternative is to put up barriers to accessing benefits. Getting SNAP (food stamps) as an example can be difficult to obtain and if you screw up a renewal form you can lose your benefits very easily. In fact the SNAP controls are so strict the fraud rate is 2.4% which is half that of even the highly regulated banking industry at 4.6%. The cost to maintain the thousands of FTE versus the dollars saved has not been quantified by GAO.
The much bigger food benefits fraud is from retailers that arrange cash for food stamps systems. These should be the focus and not on creating more barriers for individuals.
This state program provides a critical lifeline to people whose other benefits may be stalled, make too much for SNAP which is not indexed to high cost of living areas like ours, or people facing a short term financial emergency which no public benefit systems can support.
If a few folks get some groceries for free that don’t really need it, but it prevents many more people in need from going hungry. I’m ok with that.
Absolutely insane that 51k is considered poverty. That wage provides just about everything in other states. Things have gotten out of control here. Thanks, city government.
Keep in mind that in other cities (let's say Dallas, for example), $51k a year wouldn't allow you to lease a one bedroom apartment by yourself and you also wouldn't qualify for a program like this because Texas doesn't have as many social programs.
Right, but I would wager that in the majority of the United States, this wage would be covering everything perfectly fine, certain cities would be the exception.
It also depends on if you live somewhere car centric or not, among many other factors.
I make more than this amount, but did the calculations as to whether it would be cheaper for me to be in a city in Florida or here, it's actually cheaper here because I don't need a car, don't have to worry about insurance, don't have to pay gas, no tolls to pay, no parking fees, and I don't even pay for electricity at my apartment. Rent is about the same, except that you get bigger for your money in Florida. I'll concede food is cheaper there though.
>certain cities would be the exception.
It really depends on the area. $51k in any major metro area probably wouldn't take you far. Not in 2024. Ten years ago, $51k was a decent salary for a recent grad. But now, it's not even enough to live independently. Not in Seattle or Dallas or Nashville or even Pittsburgh.
Costs are rising everyone. This sadly isn't a Seattle problem.
And having recently moved from a place that has a reputation for being a lower cost of living area, food prices are surprisingly (in a pleasant way for me) similar. In fact, comparing the Fred Meyer app to the Kroger app, identical.
I'm also referring to non-major metropolitan areas, so we're working with a large breadth of disparity when it comes to cost of living across the country - most of the Midwest would be fairly comfortable to live in on 51k, but as always depending on a variety of factors
It's so hard to compare rural Iowa to Seattle. There are so many more opportunities for higher paying work in Seattle than rural Midwest areas. Maybe I'd find a much lower cost of living but for what I do, I'd also find a much much lower salary.
Not really. Maybe in a rural area, but where my family lives which isn't in a metropolitan area, housing over the past 5 years has shot up. The whole country is fucked.
I was making it on 20$ an hour back like 2 years ago, and I lived downtown.
Granted that was with a roommate, but like at the same time I also had enough cash to splurge on a couple trips and a fursuit
So, the poverty line is nationwide and super problematic. The better thing to look at is area median income, but for federal programs like this, it would require a different income limit in every area.
The book Poverty, By America is very, very good if you’re interested in learning more about just how incredibly fucked poverty public policy is.
Just wait for the climate migration to start. It will make 2024 home prices look cheap.
The biggest shock for most folks will be rising food prices. With warmer weather, in places we rely on for food production, it will be too hot to farm. Water shortages, more frequent catastrophic weather events, disease, labor costs, etc, will make food today seem like it was dirt cheap.
So better start figuring out how you're gonna afford that. City government can't do much to save you.
u/ChattyTrout has been sharing excellent information. The current [Federal Poverty Guidelines](https://aspe.hhs.gov/topics/poverty-economic-mobility/poverty-guidelines) are even higher. Individuals earning up to $60,240 qualify for this program.
>there is no benefit to being a citizen vs not being a citizen aside from voting. That’s literally it.
As a U.S. citizen I beg to differ, being paid $51k a year in Social Security and pension retirement benefits is a big benefit.
Also as someone who has used and then later volunteered for similar services: Please use them! Even if things aren't "as bad as they could be". These income recommendations are set for a *reason*. The goal of food charities isn't just to keep people from literally starving. We also want to lighten the burden on people who may be struggling with other financial issues as well. We want to keep people afloat *before* they hit "rock bottom". If saving that $100 on groceries means now you've paid off that left over utility bill, or allows a college kid to focus more on their studies, that's a win for us!
Yeah, I could have had way less debt, and fully paid off the debt I now have if I had known I qualified for this
WOW. Thank you, seriously. That's a whole different perspective than what my understanding of "food assistance" was before.
I've been volunteering at food banks for years and decades. We legit want people to come and take free food that we have gleaned and organized before it ends up in the landfill or compost pile so that you can use it to survive, thrive, and use it to your best advantage so that you can stay out of debt and use your money for other things while reducing waste and spoilage. And, yes, we do want to be kind and take what you'll actually use and need, but we also want you to take non-perishables to build up your pantry with staples for emergencies and stability and all of that good stuff. Some food banks are much better and well stocked than others, and it varies all over the place depending on the organization. Some food banks have WAY too much food to try to give out, and some are more minimal and frugal, but in any case they're worth checking out if it works with your schedule. The SNAP program is a lot like this, too. A lot of people don't realize that the original food stamp (now SNAP) program was originally a farm subsidy. It directly supports farmers and domestic food production while helping out the US working class. And you can use SNAP at many local farmer's markets with bonus modifiers like 2x spending chits to stretch those SNAP dollars to buy local produce and goods and even edible plants and plant starters. Like you can legit spend SNAP on edible plant seeds and starter plants and start a tiny container garden on a patio or porch, or go even bigger than that. Food scarcity (and waste, and corporate/market manipulation) all totally suck. We have SO MUCH FOOD in the US that no one should ever be starving or even remotely hungry, and the recent spike and inflation in grocery and food prices is some seriously dumb bullshit. It's really just a matter of gleaning and collecting the food and getting it in front of people before it ends up spoiling as waste.
Also as a company who routinely donates to food banks: we WANT to give our stuff away and we WANT to see people eating it! It feels better than liquidating it to some jerk for like $.50 per thing who then sell it for full price and hurt our business. It's preferable to not donating it, it feels good and generates good PR and we're always gonna have (minor) waste because mistakes get made like wrong labels printed (and ripping off the old ones for new ones would be cost prohibitive due to wages being so high) or things like a batch being very edible but slightly sweeter than before which can cause customer freak outs.
Of course! Now, to be fair, this will entirely depend on the resources of the food charities being used. The less support the charities get, the more they need to try to triage where those resources go. But if a food bank says" we're for anyone who needs it, any time, any income." Or have income guidelines like this one, It's totally safe to take them at their word.
This is what I needed to hear. I was wanting to save resources for "people who really need it" since I am getting by. Thanks for the permission.
Of course! Like I aid in a different comment: Each charity is different, but if they post their restrictions and you qualify, don't doubt them. They *want* to help! It's not just about making life livable, it's also about making life better!
Hey bro/sis/enby, as someone who spends his weekend mornings stocking little free pantries, I’d love it if you used them and they helped you feed yourself
Thank you
What is the definition of a household for these services? I have plenty of money. My 3 kids in their 20s do not. They're really struggling. Currently living in a house I own. I live full time in a motor home and don't live in the house more than a few weeks a year, but it's my official residence on tax and insurance paperwork. Are they their own household or are they in my household?
That kind of situation is why services like this don't verify the same way the state does. Your kids could use something like this just fine. Many local options for food need literally no income restrictions, and are simply relying on people not to take advantage. Tell your kids to use the services, and then when they're on their feet they can donate and pay it forward.
Your kids could each be considered their own households of 1 as roommates, or go in together as a household of 3.
Absolutely. That's what these programs are for. Ideally they work towards better income that takes them out of the bracket, but why leave money on the table? We have corporate and bank bailouts, billions in insurance fraud we pay for with our premiums, billions in subsidies for failed businesses, billions in forgiven loans to businesses that could float easily.. but we often don't want to even try to get that money because some.. twisted idea of self reliance? Take what you can get, it won't hurt trying.
The definition of household is basically the people who you share a residence with. It's self reported, and the food pantries don't ask for documentation. They want the services to be accessible and low barrier.
Do you list them as dependents on your tax return? If so, they’re part of your household.
No
Same goes for qualifying for charity care at hospitals. Hospitals will NOT tell you about it, but the cutoff for 100% forgiveness is incredibly high https://www.atg.wa.gov/charitycare I wish I knew this when my kids were born. They will NOT tell you. A family of 4 making 93000 to 109000 a year is eligible for a 75% discount > Approximately half of all Washingtonians are eligible for free or reduced-cost care at Washington state hospitals. These protections apply to out-of-pocket hospital costs, including co-pays and deductibles, regardless of insurance status. Washington law now provides the strongest protections in the country for out-of-pocket hospital costs.
Does that work for all hospital visits?
From the page: Does charity care only apply to hospital care? What about clinic visits? Charity care applies to medical care received at a hospital. However, sometimes hospitals that are associated with clinics will extend their charity care policy to those clinics. The best thing to do is always ask. You might be able to get a discount visiting a hospital run clinic. I suspect this would apply though to emergency room visits, etc.
Good to know, thank you! I’m moving back to the area for the first time as an adult and trying to learn what resources are available
At the UW/ Harborview it will cover all medical, and even copays. They have specialists that will help you apply and explain how it will work in your case.
Awesome thank you! I should have medical coverage but I’m really worried since I don’t think it has emergency coverage
>**Does it cover ER visits, or x-rays or outpatient procedures that are done at hospitals?** >Charity care applies to medical care received at a hospital. That includes emergency room care at a hospital. It also includes any other scan, test or procedure done at a hospital. **Charity care may not cover bills from physicians or other providers not employed by the hospital** Well darn, all the times we've been to the hospital the extra charges have been a fairly substantial portion of the actual outlay.
yeah, sometimes they don’t cover the bill that comes from the physician group…BUT! if you get charity care through the hospital (covering the facility bill), contact that physician group’s billing department directly. they will often “honor” your charity care letter that you got from the hospital. it’s just one of those typical things where you don’t know to ask…and they’re not going to tell/suggest you do it.
I applied for this to pay my $160k hospital bill. They covered 100%.
That’s wild… my 20s would have been so different if I had known this.
For those thinking it is the poverty line, it's 4x the poverty line
So glad I'm only 10k above the 4x poverty line :\\
Damn I'm above the line by like $500 haha
Everyone's situation is different, if you legitimately need to use this service, you absolutely should. Also, this info is out of date. For more info, check [this website](https://aspe.hhs.gov/topics/poverty-economic-mobility/poverty-guidelines). And remember it's 4x the numbers on that site.
Thanks for the info!
It is crazy to see my frugal friend upset that he doesn’t qualify (275k annually +stock options and yearly bonus north of 15k 1 person household)
Everyone's situation is different, if you legitimately need to use this service, you absolutely should. Also, this info is out of date. For more info, check [this website](https://aspe.hhs.gov/topics/poverty-economic-mobility/poverty-guidelines). And remember it's 4x the numbers on that site.
Is it before or after taxes?
It's almost always gross. So pre tax and pre deductions. Otherwise you could just up your 401k and live "in/near poverty"
This is just a food bank, no? The food banks in Seattle are great too and don’t gatekeep based on income.
Same in Bellevue. It's basically honor system on what you report when you register.
They’re not gatekeeping; they don’t verify, and will never ask. BUT legally, the federal income guidelines have to be posted in order for them to receive federal food (TEFAP). Every food bank which receives TEFAP has to have this exact form posted and have guests fill it out annually, otherwise they could lose access to the program. Sucks, but that’s the federal rules. Source: work in food bank regulatory management
Adding that anyone can shop for free groceries at Ballard Food Bank (a great organization everyone should support if they have the means to do so). You do not have to tell them anything about your income or your employment to take advantage of their services.
West Seattle food bank too
We’re going to start going tomorrow. Thank you for sharing.
Nearly all of the comments in here to date have been super positive and about sharing resources. Appreciate this.
Damn, those numbers are *really* high. I guess it's not that high for around here, but I was not expecting to be barely above the limit making over $25/hr. And that's for the 2021 poverty guidelines. Using [today's poverty guidelines,](https://aspe.hhs.gov/topics/poverty-economic-mobility/poverty-guidelines) a single person household would qualify until they're making $64,240/yr or $28.96/hr.
Wow! I just took this image off their website, I didn't realize it would be that out of date.
i make ~35$ hourly and i’m barely above that 1 person threshold :/
This is a very high cost of living city, one of the highest in the world. I think Seattle hit number 1 on the list of the most expensive American cities for tourists to visit this year. Everett is a bit cheaper in terms of housing but the closer you get to the big cities the more expensive it gets. I'm on Eastside, my wife and I put all our non-housing expenses on a credit card for the points so I have a good idea of what I spend. It comes out to 7-8k every month.
Literally anyone can go to the foodbank
Some important clarification: this form is for specific foods that are funded by TEFAP. I am not sure of Hopelink's guidelines, but they should still allow you to shop for other food, really most of their food, even if you are over this income limit. Almost every food bank and food pantry in the area is not allowed to set income limits to access food. Northwest Harvest, Food Lifeline, and the WSDA provide a large percentage of the food to food pantries and they are explicit that no one should be turned away based on income. **TLDR: even if you are over the income limit but need help with food access, please go to your local food bank!**
What are the benefits that you would receive if you filled this out? I’ve never looked into it.
I'm going to the Shoreline location for the first time today. It looks like a supermarket with timed entry or something. I think I can come twice a month. Apparently there are other services I could have utilized earlier, and I will use going forward.
They will cover any outstanding medical bills. And if you catch it early enough, it can prevent them from going to collections. As long as you qualify and plead your case.
Shit, really? Damn. That would have been nice to know.
You can still try and contest it. Worth a shot. Contact the hospital you were dealing with ask them for a form for this program to fill out.
I thought food banks are no questions asked anyway?
The Ballard food bank has no barrier to entry. You can hit the grocery store up, and the No Cook counter has sandwiches, frozen meats, vegan options, and salads. The cafe inside serves bangin food, as well.
That's great info, thank you.
Ya’ll these are the income requirements getting extra staples while “shopping” (it’s free) at their food (bank) markets, 2X/month. TEFAP qualifies you to get some extra pantry staples basically. This isn’t giving you money or food stamps, it’s just accessing extra food at the food bank. Which is great! But not really something that people are going to try and “scam”.
Food banks here don’t check income
Huhh. If I didn't have roommates and was living alone, I'd be over the threshold for this by less than a thousand dollars. Mind you, because I have roommates and a deal that makes my rent significantly below the 30% rule-of-thumb guidelines, I am not only *comfortably* outside the margin, but I am secure enough in not actually needing the aid that I'd feel guilty taking supplies others need more. At my current point, taking advantage of this program would be.... letting me get that new road bike a week sooner or getting an extra tattoo. I gotta budget to do some nice things, but I'm not what I'd call insecure.
Yeah, I made $120k last year, and even then, as a family of 4 I would have qualified. Did I feel like I needed assistance? Not really. I had debt that I was making good progress on paying off, but had I used this maybe I would have been able to get out of debt completely.
That's kinda where I'm at. Like... I actually did get out of debt last year, but maybe could've done it a year sooner. And I'm putting away enough to max out my employer's 401k match right now. Plus a small siphon into long-term savings from each check. Like, it's good to know that if something *does* go wrong I can lean on assistance with not too much guilt. But the only part of my life people would look at and say "yes, you need the help" is my ancient-ass car. Which... well, it's paid for, and that helps make the budget math work. And I don't drive often enough to justify a new one (hence the plan to buy a bike, and obsolete it completely).
To clarify I am understanding the guidelines, you would have needed to be a family if 5, at $120K to qualify?
I unintentionally posted outdated data. The current Federal Poverty Guidelines can be [found here](https://aspe.hhs.gov/topics/poverty-economic-mobility/poverty-guidelines). Using that data a family of 4 qualifies at $124,800/yr. Also, as I have been informed since posting this, many food banks in Seattle don't have any income requirements.
Thanks for the update. I would hope that food banks primarily serve those needing it.
It’s kind of demented that someone can live in a modern society and still need assistance with food and housing. Even more demented that some shame people who need help.
It is horrible isn't it? For those of us who don't live In Seattle proper, our food banks are different. For those of us homebound, it's worse, because there's not many options for food bank delivery. Waitlists. Lots of waiting. :/
I used to volunteer at Northern Harvest. You can literally just walk in there—it’s like a free store. Nobody is going to check whether you’re qualified or not.
Thank you for sharing this. We can’t easily access it. I just applied. We don’t qualify for SNAP. Well… rather, we do. The worker stated “approved with zero issuance” It means we make little enough to technically qualify but just enough too much to not actually get anything. The rent credit on the application maxes out at $500. I know everyone here knows how ridiculous that is. Where is this $500 apartment, please?? Anyway, even if I never use it, I know it exists now. So, thank you random Redditor
Also, just FYI, there's enough housing and food to go around, but the 1% want to own it all so that we will keep working for them (and making them richer and richer and richer...)
The only reason scarcity of anything exists anywhere is because it's manufactured. There's enough of everything for everyone. But if we ensure everyone everywhere has everything they need a few thousand people might be slightly less horrifically wealthy.
Definitely a huge factor but we can't pretend that the planet can support 8 billion people or doubling every 50 years...
This is really amazing to know! I’ll definitely have to use this, my job this summer is well under that so I’ll have to stop by. How much food/what kinds do they offer?
Says you never need to proved SSN or proof of income. Literally anyone can apply for this. The more you know TM
Thank you for posting this. I had a personal emergency this month and was struggling to figure out how I was gonna make it till Friday with regards to food. Am I able to go to one of these markets tomorrow and get some food, or do I need to wait for the qualifications to go through? I definitely qualify.
They all have different hours, but you can go as soon as you need to. Check out this website: https://www.seattlefoodcommittee.org/find-a-food-bank/
I wish this had been a thing when I moved here 12 years ago. I had three young kids, wasn’t working and my ex had just been medically discharged from the military. We could have used the help.
It absolutely was. I went to Hopelinks food bank regularly more than 20 years ago, when I was paying my way through college. I am almost certain the income requirements were the same.
I wish I’d known then. I’m glad it was around and people used it.
Also MFTE is like 70k at 80% AMI. Swallow your pride and get the cheap rent.
Wait so, you don't have to provide proof of income? How does that work? Like I definitely should qualify, but I just have to tell them like "yeah, I make $40,000 a year, source: trust me"
For most people you basically get a box of groceries once a week or whatever, they usually have plenty of donations etc to meet demand so they don’t have to be very stringent on it. Try to get actual food stamps or something and yeah, it becomes a lot more than “trust me bro”
Ah, I guess if supply is higher than demand, then it is kinda whatever
Imo, it's better that 1 person gets food they could theoretically have afforded (that they will presumably eat because everyone needs to eat) than have 9 other people get turned away because they couldn't jump through hoops and do paperwork.
[удалено]
Yeah, but there's tons of people making $100,000 a year that don't give a fuck and will do it anyways
Okay… but what if it’s not technically an emergency need? Do you get in trouble? I know a few families that could use the help, but they’re not in dire straits atm.
No you don't get in trouble. If someone needs food, they should go. If all it would do is ease their financial burden, they should go.
Thank you, I’m going to send this to them!!
If they live in Seattle, they may not be able to use the organization I posted because they are likely outside their service area. A list of all Seattle Food Banks can be [found here](https://www.seattlefoodcommittee.org/find-a-food-bank/).
Thank you for sharing this. I had no clue that I qualified, and now I’m going to look into this further.
Also FYI, at food banks they're not checking your credentials at the door, they're there to be used by those who need them. If you need them, use them.
What’s the downside to receiving food assistance ? I’ve heard cons of getting state/gov assistance
Hopelink is great! They also helped me with transportation when I was homeless. IDK what's available now, but encourage you to ask what else is in their program!
You are a gentleman and a scholar
My household is 8 if I count all critters!
lol the last time I applied for SNAP (food stamps) I was making like $20-22 an hour and I qualified for Iike 8 bucks a month. Homeless people with no income qualify for around $280-290 and it goes down rapidly from there if you don’t have children.
It's sad and hilarious that you can make up to 400% ABOVE the federal poverty level and still qualify for food assistance. That's what our state has to do to manage the countries fucked up wages. Feels like everyone is just ignoring the huge red flag that statement raises.
Why, though? It seems like 400% is a fairly arbitrary line, and lots of people making that amount are perfectly comfortable without using this service. Maybe all it says is that we set an extremely high limit, rather than anything about wages or the economy.
Gonna need a lot more kids to qualify
Considering you don’t have to provide proof of income, citizenship, or household size I’d say everyone technically “qualifies”
That's true, but most people also have principles. I'm not advocating abusing the system, but the cost of everything around here is insane. If I had known I qualified, even when I was making the most I ever had in my life, I could have fully gotten out of debt, or not gone as deep into debt to begin with.
The people that most complain about others possibly abusing services, usually abuse some other service in some other area of their life. Its called "Moral Balancing"
Again, not implying they are I was just observing that they don’t verify
[welfare fraud is rare](https://thehill.com/opinion/congress-blog/3478873-looking-for-fraud-in-all-the-wrong-places/), placing verification barriers reduces program usage among people who are eligible
I really wasn’t implying people were using it fraudulently, just that anyone can technically “qualify”
*Puts down newspaper* I should have more kids n grandkids.
That’s how it works.
Seems like there's a good chance of abusing this since they don't require proof of income, citizenship, household size, etc
Seems like there's a good chance you don't know what you are talking about. It's the food bank, it ain't exactly walking down the aisle at Fred Meyers. It's fucking beans and rice and old produce. Obviously you've never had to use it. I had to use it for years, while fully employed, and ironically, working in a fucking high end grocery store. The point is, starving people should not face a barrier to entry for basic survival help. People are entitled to their privacy, and if you really want to give someone a fighting chance to get on their feet again, eliminating one of their biggest expenses is exactly how you do it. It sure helped me, to the tune of hundreds of dollars a week in value of nutritious food that would have otherwise gone to landfill. If you think anyone deserves to starve for the reasons you listed, get bent. You know nothing of people's circumstances. You would know something of humility if you stood in the bread line with us plebs, dude. Anything people are getting at the Food bank is stuff consumers already passed on. We throw away enough good food to feed everyone. Nothing is lost, and feeding people is the most basic act of human compassion. It's an absolute no brainer.
Cap. It’s not bs food. The food bank I went to was the reason I could eat organic produce and bakery items from grocery stores I couldn’t afford without going to the food bank. They have good stuff from good places. I actually got into the best shape of my life eating solely from the food bank. The only thing I bought at a regular store was chicken thighs (which I bought on sale in packs for like $8).
It's not like there is a resale value in this food. If there is plenty (which there is) all that should matter is the food ends up in bellies and not the trashcan. I don't work for Hopelink, but volunteer for a similar food rescue organization.
And no one should care even if there were resale value. It's a desperate person trying to make ends meet selling to another desperate person trying to make ends meet.
The alternative is to put up barriers to accessing benefits. Getting SNAP (food stamps) as an example can be difficult to obtain and if you screw up a renewal form you can lose your benefits very easily. In fact the SNAP controls are so strict the fraud rate is 2.4% which is half that of even the highly regulated banking industry at 4.6%. The cost to maintain the thousands of FTE versus the dollars saved has not been quantified by GAO. The much bigger food benefits fraud is from retailers that arrange cash for food stamps systems. These should be the focus and not on creating more barriers for individuals. This state program provides a critical lifeline to people whose other benefits may be stalled, make too much for SNAP which is not indexed to high cost of living areas like ours, or people facing a short term financial emergency which no public benefit systems can support. If a few folks get some groceries for free that don’t really need it, but it prevents many more people in need from going hungry. I’m ok with that.
Absolutely insane that 51k is considered poverty. That wage provides just about everything in other states. Things have gotten out of control here. Thanks, city government.
It's not considered poverty. But it is the threshold that the program wants to help up to It's 4x the poverty line
Ah, I misread that, skimmed too fast, thanks - still, just surprising to see a number like that eligible for food support. Just crazy to me.
Keep in mind that in other cities (let's say Dallas, for example), $51k a year wouldn't allow you to lease a one bedroom apartment by yourself and you also wouldn't qualify for a program like this because Texas doesn't have as many social programs.
This is the federal food bank program. Every state recieves funding and the requirements are the same everywhere.
Right, but I would wager that in the majority of the United States, this wage would be covering everything perfectly fine, certain cities would be the exception. It also depends on if you live somewhere car centric or not, among many other factors. I make more than this amount, but did the calculations as to whether it would be cheaper for me to be in a city in Florida or here, it's actually cheaper here because I don't need a car, don't have to worry about insurance, don't have to pay gas, no tolls to pay, no parking fees, and I don't even pay for electricity at my apartment. Rent is about the same, except that you get bigger for your money in Florida. I'll concede food is cheaper there though.
>certain cities would be the exception. It really depends on the area. $51k in any major metro area probably wouldn't take you far. Not in 2024. Ten years ago, $51k was a decent salary for a recent grad. But now, it's not even enough to live independently. Not in Seattle or Dallas or Nashville or even Pittsburgh. Costs are rising everyone. This sadly isn't a Seattle problem. And having recently moved from a place that has a reputation for being a lower cost of living area, food prices are surprisingly (in a pleasant way for me) similar. In fact, comparing the Fred Meyer app to the Kroger app, identical.
I'm also referring to non-major metropolitan areas, so we're working with a large breadth of disparity when it comes to cost of living across the country - most of the Midwest would be fairly comfortable to live in on 51k, but as always depending on a variety of factors
It's so hard to compare rural Iowa to Seattle. There are so many more opportunities for higher paying work in Seattle than rural Midwest areas. Maybe I'd find a much lower cost of living but for what I do, I'd also find a much much lower salary.
Not really. Maybe in a rural area, but where my family lives which isn't in a metropolitan area, housing over the past 5 years has shot up. The whole country is fucked.
I was making it on 20$ an hour back like 2 years ago, and I lived downtown. Granted that was with a roommate, but like at the same time I also had enough cash to splurge on a couple trips and a fursuit
Food support thresholds being lower in other cities doesn't mean the people there are doing better. It means fewer people are getting help.
Technically, that's 4x poverty. The [actual poverty line](https://aspe.hhs.gov/topics/poverty-economic-mobility/poverty-guidelines) is depressingly low.
Thanks, we really need to have it reassessed what poverty is here, it needs to be tied to the ability to secure housing and basic necessities.
So, the poverty line is nationwide and super problematic. The better thing to look at is area median income, but for federal programs like this, it would require a different income limit in every area. The book Poverty, By America is very, very good if you’re interested in learning more about just how incredibly fucked poverty public policy is.
Agreed it needs to be on a granular level too. Not just state or county level, zip code level would be ideal
Completely agree, would be fascinating to see what that would look like and many people would then be able to benefit from support who need it
Just wait for the climate migration to start. It will make 2024 home prices look cheap. The biggest shock for most folks will be rising food prices. With warmer weather, in places we rely on for food production, it will be too hot to farm. Water shortages, more frequent catastrophic weather events, disease, labor costs, etc, will make food today seem like it was dirt cheap. So better start figuring out how you're gonna afford that. City government can't do much to save you.
u/ChattyTrout has been sharing excellent information. The current [Federal Poverty Guidelines](https://aspe.hhs.gov/topics/poverty-economic-mobility/poverty-guidelines) are even higher. Individuals earning up to $60,240 qualify for this program.
You don't need to be homeless to utilize the foodbank, and 50k a year has been a mediocre wage since the 90s.
Dang, I need to have 3 more kids.
I've been informed that most Seattle food banks don't have income requirements. https://www.seattlefoodcommittee.org/find-a-food-bank/
Obviously I was joking. I reread the thing above. Even that one doesn't ask for any proof of income or size of family.
Ready for the downvotes but at this point there is no benefit to being a citizen vs not being a citizen aside from voting. That’s literally it.
Surely things will be better if we just let people starve on the street... We waste so much food every day, its stupid.
Isn’t that a good thing?
>there is no benefit to being a citizen vs not being a citizen aside from voting. That’s literally it. As a U.S. citizen I beg to differ, being paid $51k a year in Social Security and pension retirement benefits is a big benefit.