In this brief, we use data from the Urban Institute’s Well-Being and Basic Needs Survey (WBNS) to analyze trends in charitable food participation between 2019 and 2025, as well as the experiences of those who received charitable food, current levels of unmet need, and access barriers. 

We find that nearly 1 in 6 adults reported charitable food participation in 2025, with participation rates among adults ages 18 to 64 remaining consistently elevated since 2020. 

Why This Matters

Cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) that began taking effect at the end of 2025 may increase the need for private food assistance at a time when the charitable safety net is already facing high demand. With millions of families expected to lose or see a reduction in benefits in the coming year, more families may turn to food banks, food pantries, and other programs offering free groceries and meals. To help programs meet this growing need for assistance, it is important to remove barriers to charitable food participation, such as lack of accessibility, stigma, and limited availability of desirable food options.

This analysis provides a baseline for monitoring changes in charitable food participation and sheds light on barriers to accessing these resources to inform the charitable sector’s efforts to direct outreach and improve service delivery.

Key Takeaways

• In December 2025, nearly 1 in 6 (16.1 percent) adults reported household charitable food participation in the past year.
• Charitable food participation among working-age adults (ages 18 to 64) in 2025 stayed elevated at 16.7 percent, statistically unchanged from the rates for each year between 2021 and 2024. Participation has decreased since 2020 (19.7 percent) at the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, but remained above the level observed in 2019 (13.2 percent).
• Food-insecure households and groups that disproportionately experience food insecurity (e.g., adults living with children, adults with a disability, Black and Hispanic adults, LGBT adults, and low-income adults) reported the highest rates of charitable food participation in 2025.
• Among adults who participated in charitable food programs in 2025, 4 in 10 reported difficulty getting the variety and types of foods they needed or wanted.
• Nearly 3 in 10 adults in food-insecure households reported having unmet need for charitable food. Overall, the most common reasons for unmet need were due to limited hours of operation, lack of awareness of where to go for help, and stigma.