Free Food
The following is a list of possible ways to get free food:
Sometimes large restaurants and fast food chains have free food
promotions. Wendy's has had free frosty days. Denny's announced during
Superbowl XLIII and XLIV that they were giving away a free grand slam breakfast.
Wienerschnitzel has given away free original chili dogs and ice cream. Jack in the Box has given away free fries. Stay alert for press releases to find out when the next free offer will
take place. They will also be posted on the ActuallyFree blog
whenever possible.
Get coupon savvy. It is possible to get free food with coupons.
Celebrate your birthday. Many restaurants offer freebies on your birthday.
Write letters and make phone calls to businesses and ask for free samples.
You can get free food at church gatherings, community events, school socials, club events, parties, dances, weddings, and while donating blood or plasma.
Go to a local bagel or doughnut shop that guarantees "fresh" baked
goods everyday. This means they bake new goods every day even if they
had leftovers the day before. If employees don't take them home then
they just throw them away. It never hurts to ask the manager if you can
take them for free.
You might be able to get free undelivered pizzas when the pizza place closes. Employees usually take them, but if they've worked there for a while then they're probably sick of pizza.
Get
to be good friends with the late-night workers at the local mini-mart
(Circle K, Seven Eleven, AM/PM, etc.). Sometimes they'll give you free
food, (hot dogs, drinks, pretzels, etc.). They have policies to throw
food away if its been in the heater for a certain period of time (like
a day or so, I'm guessing). They might give it to you instead. And yes
its still edible. If someone wanted to buy it 5 minutes before cleanup
time they would have no problem selling it without legal worries. My
brother is actually great at being friends the way I'm describing
here. Every time he goes to the Circle K by our parents house the
cashier won't even let him pay for a soda refill if he tried. Which leads to the next tip:
Bring your own cup to the soda fountain. Sometimes their
inventory is based on the number of cups they have, not what comes out
of the soda fountain, so they could care less if you took a refill. Don't do it without their permission though.
An article at howcast.com suggests befriending an elderly neighbor and befriending a farmer, someone with a garden and/or fruit trees. If you befriend an elderly neighbor they may feed you in exchange for simple services, like changing a light bulb. If you go out of your way to compliment someone on their garden, they'll think of you when they have excess from their harvest. (The same article also mentions that one of the things you'll need is shamelessness.)
Learn to make a garden yourself. You could grow vegetables out of buckets if you really had to. And there are tons of places to get free compost for your soil.
Volunteer to babysit - during mealtimes
Learn to fish and/or hunt. The equipment might be a little expensive, but after the initial investment you may ultimately save money.
Become a gatherer. Get nuts, berries, fruits, seeds and edible greens in parks and countrysides worldwide. You can get a book from the library to help guide you on what you can or can't eat.
Visit a farmers' market. They love to give out free samples. Costco gives free samples too, and you're local grocery store may have free cookies in a jar near the bakery.
Volunteer at a soup kitchen or meal-delivery program, but don't steal while your working. You can get food because there are usually left-overs, and you can dish yourself a plate when your shift is over.
Go to a nutrition department at a local school or university and offer to be a taste tester if they're conducting any experiments.
Become a
mystery shopper. Mystery shoppers are often given free samples (including food) as part of their compensation for evaluating a business' services.
Click here for more ideas.
If you can prove that you are financially in need, you can get food
through government
nutrition assistance programs. There are also charities and food banks
to help those who are hungry.
Note: If you have reached this page because you are poor and
can't afford a meal then you may want to click here also.
Free Restaurants
These eating places are essentially feed-forward Gift Economies for Food. They have also been termed "pay-what-you-want" kitchens. They are not listed here to be abused, simply to demonstrate that there are resources to eat if you need them. These are great organizations that were made to feed the hungry. In order to keep going they could use volunteers and donations.
If you have more information on how to get free food, submit it for review.
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