Try Too Good To Go

If you're looking for ways to stretch your budget on food, Too Good To Go is a game-changer. This app connects you with local restaurants, bakeries, and grocery stores offering surplus food at a fraction of the price. Instead of tossing perfectly good items at the end of the day, businesses list them on the app as "surprise bags"—meaning you get a mix of food for a low cost.

🔗 Too Good To Go

I gave it a shot last week and was pleasantly surprised. For $6.37 at IKEA, I got dinner and dessert, and for $6.99 at Whole Foods, I walked away with a variety of baked goods. While you won’t know exactly what’s in your bag until you pick it up, everything I received was delicious and worth well over what I paid.

If you're open to a little surprise and want to save money while reducing food waste, I highly recommend giving this app a try! You might even discover a new favorite spot in the process.

Feeding America

Feeding America is the largest hunger-relief organization in the U.S., providing meals to millions of people through a nationwide network of food banks. They offer free groceries, meal programs, and emergency food assistance to families in need.

🔗 Feeding America

Food Not Bombs

Food Not Bombs is a global, volunteer-driven movement dedicated to providing free, nutritious meals to communities in need while promoting food justice and mutual aid. Unlike traditional food assistance programs, Food Not Bombs focuses on redistributing surplus food that would otherwise be wasted, turning it into plant-based meals shared in public spaces. The organization believes that access to healthy food is a fundamental human right and that poverty and hunger result from economic inequality, not food scarcity.

With local chapters in cities around the world, Food Not Bombs serves free meals to those facing food insecurity, including people experiencing homelessness, low-income families, and anyone in need of a meal—no questions asked. Many chapters also engage in activism by advocating for social justice, anti-war efforts, and policies that address the root causes of poverty and hunger.

🔗 Food Not Bombs

Food Banks (U.S., Canada & Australia)

🌟 I want to give a special thank you to one of our amazing readers who took the time to share the food bank resource link with us. Your support and willingness to help others means more than you know. It’s thoughtful contributions like yours that make this community stronger—and I’m so grateful to have you here! 🌟

Whether you’re in the U.S., Canada, the UK, or Australia—food insecurity is becoming a harsh reality for more people than ever, especially during job transitions, buyouts, or sudden layoffs.

According to Website Planet, food banks across these countries are overwhelmed, not just with demand, but with people who never thought they'd need help. Many are professionals, parents, and yes—former government workers like us—who’ve fallen into hard times through no fault of their own.

The good news? Help is out there.

This guide breaks down:

- How food banks operate in each country

- Who qualifies (spoiler: it’s more people than you think)

- What kind of support you can expect

- How to access healthy food with dignity and zero judgment

💡No shame. No guilt. Just real support when you need it most.

If you’re in a tough spot or supporting someone who is, take a few minutes to read through it. Bookmark it. Share it. You never know who in your circle could quietly be going without.

🔗 Food Bank Info