If you currently have trouble with your mortgage payments or any other retirement fund, don’t worry! There are many other people dealing with exactly the same issues and pressure. As you probably try to wrap your head around the situation, your funds disappear, so you need to find a solution as fast as possible.

Luckily for you, there are many programs in the United States that are specially meant to take care of seniors like you who simply don’t know where to start when it comes to difficulties. If you’re wishing for a nice, hot meal but don’t know how to pay your debts, don’t worry! We’ve got you covered. We made a list of organizations that might help you with that, so have a look:

SNAP

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, which is also known as food stamps, offers seniors a particular amount of money that could be used to buy free food for seniors and people of any age.

The money is transferred to your EBT card, which could be used just like a debit card to buy eligible items from regular grocery stores. The average payout for such a program is over $100 per person a month, which could make a huge difference for low-income seniors.

USDA Commodities

The USDA Commodity Supplemental Food Program offers services and food for low-income seniors who are over 60 years old. USDA Commodities provides the best and most nutritious food, including a wide variety of fruit, juice, vegetables, milk, cheese, grains, and proteins, such as plant-based proteins. The foods are widely distributed every month to those seniors who are eligible for the program. If you want to apply, you might need to contact the State Distributing Agency.

The Emergency Food Assistance Program

The USDA operates a program known as the Emergency Food Assistance Program, or TEFAP. The program is made to help supplement the diets of low-income Americans but also to offer free food for seniors. The program doesn’t offer seniors money for food because it provides food directly.

As the USDA website showed, the government purchases a variety of nutritious, high-quality USDA foods and offers the foods to all state distributors. Each and every state receives a particular amount of food, which is later passed on to various food banks, soup kitchens, and agencies such as the Community Action Council, which is able to distribute the food directly to low-income seniors.

Every state handles this program a bit differently, but it’s important to reach out to your local Community Action Agency for extra help. You need to let them know that you’re looking for food, and they might be able to help you get some of it from the Emergency Food Assistance Program.

Farmer’s Market Vouchers

The Seniors Farmers Market Nutrition Program helps out all low-income seniors, giving them access to locally grown fruits, veggies, honey, and herbs. The program comes with vouchers that could be redeemed for produce at the local farmer’s market, as well as at roadside stands and community-supported agriculture programs.

The program is made for seniors who are a minimum of 60 years old and earn 185% of or even less than the federal poverty guidelines. The program is usually run by various senior centers and senior housing agencies, so make sure you reach out to your local senior center for additional information.

Senior meal programs

Their meal sites will offer nutritionally balanced meals, but also many activities, informational speakers, and many other things. Thousands, if not millions, of seniors have the option of enjoying daily meals at senior centers around the U.S. If you want to eat a hot, tasty, and free meal in your area, simply contact the Eldercare Locator.

Meals on Wheels

As an alternative, if you have no desire to leave your home, you could easily apply for Meals on Wheels. The Meals on Wheels program is, in fact, coordinated by 5,000 independently run local programs all over the United States.

Besides your nutritious meal, you might also get a friendly visit from a nice delivery person, as well as a quick safety check to make sure that you’re alright at home. Meals on Wheels is a program made for seniors that are 60 years of age and older. The meals are offered on a sliding-scale payment schedule. Some seniors don’t have to pay anything, while others could offer to pay the fee of $3 per meal.

The meals can also be paid for with food stamp benefits. The official website added that any senior can eat there and the inability to pay is not an issue, which officially shows that they really offer free food for seniors. Even so, it seems that in certain areas, the demand is so high that they had to make a waitlist.

Food Banks

There are a myriad of food banks all over the country that will offer you free food. It’s worth mentioning that some food banks have particular hours set aside so they can serve seniors and disabled adults, so you won’t have to deal with large crowds during regular hours, while others will also offer free delivery for homebound seniors. It solely depends on the policies of your local pantry.

Other free services Medical services

Low-income older adults also have the option of receiving medical services for seniors through a bunch of local free clinics under the National Association of Free and Charitable Clinics umbrella.

If you need some help with your medication, pharmaceutical companies have all kinds of Patience Assistance Programs that will offer you free medication. In fact, some of these programs are run by states, and they can be easily found on the National Council on Aging website.

The RXAssist website, but also the NCOA-sponsored BenefitsCheckUp site, might help you find all the PAPs that might be offered directly by drug companies.

Free hearing aids

If you are currently in need of hearing aids, there are plenty of organizations that might assist seniors in getting them for free. For instance, the Starkey Hearing Foundation has an application process that can be accessed through its Hear Now Program.

Also, the National Hearing Aid Project helps low-income seniors find hearing aids. Depending on the level of your income, you might have to pay a small amount of money (but anyway, it’s a low-cost one). Other two great organizations that will fully assist you with getting new hearing aids are the Lions Club and Kiwanis Club.

However, you should check if you could qualify for a free hearing aid through Medicaid and the Veterans Administration. If you need extra help understanding exactly what your government benefits are, the Senior Health Insurance Assistant Program might provide you with free health insurance counseling.

However, take note that the program might have different names, depending on the state. Seniors who are also suffering from hearing loss could get a free phone from CaptionCall. These phones have a very practical screen interface that will provide captioning for incoming calls.

Free Public Transportation

As a senior citizen, you have access to plenty of public transportation services. Your local AAA or government offices might help you find out which ones are available in your community. Even more, you might find out that in your community there’s a public transportation system made specifically for seniors!

Now that you’ve learned where to get free services and food, you also need to find out more about 6 Store Memberships and Clubs Every Retiree Should Know