Recent economic pressures have strained family food budgets and increased demands on the charitable food safety net. Households continue to turn to food pantries and meal programs in greater numbers than before the COVID-19 pandemic and recent spike in food prices. However, many adults face challenges accessing these resources, including lack of awareness, feelings of stigma, and difficulties finding agencies that are open at times that fit their schedules. This brief examines barriers to and experiences with accessing charitable food in 2024 using data from the Urban Institute’s Well-Being and Basic Needs Survey, a nationally representative survey of adults ages 18 to 64.

Why This Matters

Local food pantries and other charitable food resources offer vital support to families experiencing food insecurity, especially during times of crisis. By highlighting the barriers adults face in accessing charitable food, our findings can inform strategies for how the charitable food sector can continue to improve outreach and services for households who need food assistance, especially amid ongoing high need. These strategies could be especially important as Congress considers major cuts to the federal safety net in 2025, including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), as well as funding for federal programs that support the charitable food sector.

What We Found

• Among food-insecure adults whose households did not receive charitable food in the last year, less than half (47 percent) were aware of places where they could get free groceries or meals, and only about one-third (34 percent) reported they would be comfortable getting help.
• One in 10 of all adults (10 percent), including more than 3 in 10 food-insecure adults (31 percent), reported there was a time in the last 12 months when they needed or wanted help from a place offering free food but did not get it, most commonly due to not feeling comfortable receiving help, not knowing where to go, and not being able to get to places offering free food.
• Experiences among those receiving charitable food were generally positive or neutral, but barriers to access remain. Among adults who received charitable food in the last year, about half (51 percent) reported difficulties reaching a charitable food provider or getting the variety and types of food they wanted or needed.
  • Food-insecure adults who received charitable food were more likely than food-secure charitable food recipients to experience these difficulties.
  • Transportation and accessibility challenges were more common among adults with disabilities relative to nondisabled adults.
• More than one in five adults who received charitable food in the last year (21 percent) reported feeling they were treated or judged unfairly by program staff or volunteers because of their race, physical appearance, health condition or disability, income or education, or other personal characteristics.
  • Adults with disabilities were more than twice as likely as nondisabled adults to report experiencing unfair treatment (32 versus 14 percent).

How We Did It

This analysis draws on data from the December 2024 round of the Urban Institute’s Well-Being and Basic Needs Survey (WBNS), a nationally representative, internet-based survey of adults ages 18 to 64 designed to monitor changes in individual and family well-being as policymakers consider changes to federal safety-net programs. It is fielded annually in December, with more than 7,500 adults participating in each survey round.