Food Stamp Program

The Food Stamp Program can provide your clients who are homeless with benefits they can use like cash to purchase food at most grocery stores.

> Benefits Your Client May Receive

The Food Stamp Program provides your clients with the resources to buy food with coupons or Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) cards. Your clients must use their food stamp benefits to buy eligible food in authorized retail food stores.

Your clients CAN use food stamps to buy foods such as:

• Breads and cereals
• Fruits and vegetables
• Meats, fish, and poultry
• Dairy products
• Seeds and plants that produce food to eat

Your clients CANNOT use food stamps to buy:

• Beer, wine, liquor, cigarettes, or tobacco;
• Any non-food items, such as:
  • Pet foods
  • Soaps
  • Paper products
  • Vitamins and medicines
• Food that will be eaten in the store
• Hot foods

In some areas, restaurants can be authorized to accept food stamp benefits from homeless, elderly, or disabled people in exchange for low-cost meals. Food stamps cannot be exchanged for cash.