More than 460,000 Philadelphia residents—over a quarter of the city’s population—receive SNAP benefits, formerly known as food stamps. Despite the overwhelming use of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, there are still nearly 180,000 Philadelphians who qualify for but don’t receive SNAP benefits.

To connect more residents with this vital nutrition program, the Greater Philadelphia Coalition Against Hunger launched the SNAP Campaign in 2002, with funding from the USDA. Since then, the Coalition has assisted more than 50,000 households and now screens nearly 7,000 Philadelphians for food stamps each year.

The SNAP Campaign helps Philadelphia residents through:

• The SNAP (Food Stamp) Hotline: 215-430-0556

Operated by staff counselors, the hotline allows callers to apply for SNAP benefits by phone.

• On-Site Screenings

To date, the Coalition has trained more than 450 volunteers to conduct SNAP screenings and application assistance at health centers and other sites.

• Case Management  

The Coalition advocates for applicants or participants wrongly denied SNAP benefits. With the cooperation of Philadelphia's County Assistance Offices, the Coalition resolves the majority of the 100-plus cases it handles each month.

Calls to the SNAP Hotline have soared in recent years. In 2010, the Coalition screened 6,280 Philadelphia residents for SNAP (75% of whom were eligible) and submitted 4,601 applications. 

The Coalition also provides free trainings on SNAP applications to social service agencies in the Philadelphia region.