Food & Nutrition

Program Overview

Food and Nutrition Services (FNS),(Servicios de Alimentos y Nutrición)  previously known as "food stamps," is Social Services' largest assistance program. Families and individuals may be eligible for FNS benefits and while FNS benefits and eligibility must be reviewed periodically. FNS benefit amounts are based on several factors including income, household size, assets, and many other factors. The purpose of Food and Nutrition Services (FNS) is to  help eligible people with limited incomes supplement their budgets so they can purchase food.  This is a supplemental program. Monthly allotments of FNS benefits are issued via Electronic Benefit Transfer cards (EBT cards). You can use it to buy food at stores that accept EBT cards.  They may not be used to purchase:

  • Alcoholic Beverages
  • Paper Products
  • Pet Food
  • Soap Products
  • Tobacco

Food Stamps = Food and Nutrition Services in NC and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) at the federal level 

It has been years since this program was officially known as "food stamps." A large majority of people, however, still know it by this name. In 2008, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the federal agency responsible for the administration of the program, officially changed the name to SNAP. North Carolina chose to continue to call the program Food and Nutrition Services.

How to Apply

To apply for  Food  and Nutrition Services someone in your household must submit an application and complete an interview.  The application requires documents and information about your household that you may need to gather.   Please review Applying for Food and Nutrition Services (Food Stamps) for a list of items that may be needed to complete your application.

Apply online with ePass or come to Social Services to apply because the day your application is received is your "eligibility date." You may also follow one of the links below to obtain and mail an application to Social Services; your eligibility date, however, is the date your completed and signed application is received. 

You may  apply in person at DSS.  Fill out as much of the paper application   as possible ahead of time and take your documents with you or you can drop it off at the DSS office.  You can also fill out the application and mail it to 

Davidson County Social Services
P.O. Box 788
Lexington, NC 27293

You can also submit a request form if you have problems with the online application.  

Non-Discrimination

Davidson County Social Services does not discriminate in the provision of services to all qualified persons.