Hey Buffalo! 👋

FREE Turkey Sandwiches

Fresh turkey, cheese & mayo — free for ALICE families & neighbors. No cost, no catch, no paperwork drama.

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Need a sandwich? Start here.

You qualify if you're…

(you, your kids, friends & family!)
  • Homeless
  • Unemployed
  • Receiving benefits
  • Disabled
  • Elderly (60+)
  • Earning under minimum wage
Member intake form

How it works

1. Fill out the intake form (2 minutes, promise).

2. You're on the list — sammies go out the 2nd & last Friday every month, ZIPs 14208 · 14211 · 14214 · 14215 · 14220.

3. Homebound or no ride? We deliver to your door.

That's literally it →

Questions? 716-253-1864
BringJoy716@gmail.com

Every sammy takes hands 🥪

Give your time

a couple hours makes a real dent
  • Make & wrap sandwiches
  • Drive a Friday delivery run
  • Refer a neighbor who's hungry
Volunteer form

Become a Keeper

sponsor one neighbor, month to month
  • One member to look after
  • Their monthly sammies, secured
  • Scheduled, consented visits
  • Real community connection
Keeper form
Why we do this
ALICE = Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed

"Free Sammy" provides free turkey, cheese, and mayo sandwiches through a mobile pantry and pop-up distribution service with integrated resource access. Food is distributed to individuals earning below the cost of living, Buffalo ALICE families/homes & more through our delivery program and at scheduled off-site locations. We serve community members twice monthly through structured outreach on the second and last Friday of each month in Buffalo, NY ZIP Codes 14208, 14211, 14214, 14215, and 14220. Individuals may qualify if they are homeless, unemployed, receiving benefits, disabled, elderly, or earning under minimum wage. For more information, call 716-253-1864 or email BRINGJOY716@GMAIL.COM.

Living in Buffalo poses a real challenge for many residents because of the high cost of living. Most people need to earn $13–17/hr to cover daily expenses, yet Medicaid eligibility cuts off at $11/hr or less — leaving thousands of working and fixed-income residents stuck in the gap: too much income to qualify for healthcare support, not enough to actually get by.

Children, students, seniors 60 and up, veterans, disabled residents, and working neighbors in the ALICE population (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) feel this hardest. Many face impossible choices between groceries, medication, doctor's appointments, and rent — while living outside the official poverty line, they still go hungry. Transportation makes it worse: homebound seniors, disabled residents, and anyone without a reliable ride often can't reach a pantry or a clinic at all, and rising costs keep pushing more people toward isolation and food insecurity.

That's why we built the Mobile Pantry & Pop-up Distribution program — structured, community-based outreach that brings food and resource access directly to people instead of asking them to find it. Every meal is prepared fresh in a New York State inspection-approved kitchen, built around accessible staples like our turkey sandwiches that are simple, nutritious, and safe to distribute across the community.

$13–17/hr
needed to cover basic living costs in Buffalo
≤ $11/hr
Medicaid cutoff — the gap ALICE falls into
600–900
homeless & unemployed across Erie County
25–33%
poverty across the ZIP codes we serve

Sources: United Way for ALICE · ACS / American Community Survey · Buffalo & Erie County Homeless Employment Data (HMIS + CoC NY-508)

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