Finding food help usually involves two separate steps: locating a nearby place that serves your ZIP code, and applying for the benefit programs that help with groceries over time. This guide pulls together what Hillsborough County and state agencies publish for Riverview residents. More local resources are collected on the Riverview residents page.
Food help close to home
ECHO's Riverview center
ECHO (Emergency Care Help Organization) has a Riverview center at 10509 Riverview Dr. According to ECHO, the center is open Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Those are weekday morning hours, so anyone with a work or school schedule may want to plan the visit ahead of time rather than count on an afternoon stop.
ECHO's Riverview center serves residents of a specific set of ZIP codes. The ones ECHO lists are:
- 33534
- 33547
- 33569
- 33570
- 33572
- 33573
- 33578
- 33579
- 33619
Check your mailing address against this list before you go. If your ZIP code is not on it, the ECHO Riverview page is the place to confirm which ECHO location is right for you. The page is also the best place to check for any changes to hours, since the schedule above is what ECHO publishes.
Applying for SNAP
SNAP is the food assistance program that helps households pay for groceries. Hillsborough County does not run the application itself. Instead, the county's food assistance page tells residents to apply for food assistance benefits through the Florida Department of Children and Families.
The state side is straightforward. The Florida Department of Children and Families says Florida uses one application for all assistance programs, and it offers that application through its public assistance page. In practice, that means a household does not need to fill out a different form for each program. One application is the starting point, and it is the same one whether you are asking about food benefits or another type of help.
A few practical habits make the process easier:
- Start from the state's public assistance page rather than a third-party site.
- Set aside enough time to finish the application in one sitting.
- Keep a record of when you applied and what you submitted.
Those are general tips, not requirements from the agencies, so follow whatever instructions the state gives you during the application.
Applying for WIC
WIC works differently from SNAP. The Florida Department of Health says that to apply for WIC, you contact an office in your area to schedule a certification appointment to see if you are eligible. The first step is a phone call to set up that appointment, not a form submitted from home.
In Hillsborough County, the Florida Department of Health says WIC services are by appointment only, and it asks residents to call to schedule. Walking into an office without an appointment is therefore not the way to begin. One of the Hillsborough County locations on the health department's WIC locations page is the Brandon WIC office at 1158 Bell Shoals Road, Unit 101. Use that page to find the phone number for the office you want to call, and see the state's WIC contact page for offices in other areas.
Putting it together
Because these programs run through different agencies, it helps to treat them as separate tasks. A simple order of steps might look like this:
- Check whether your ZIP code is on ECHO's list, and note the center's weekday hours of 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
- Start the single state application through the Florida Department of Children and Families if you want to apply for SNAP.
- Call to schedule a WIC certification appointment if you want to apply for WIC, and remember that Hillsborough County WIC services are by appointment only.
- Keep notes on each call and application so you can follow up if needed.
None of these steps depends on the others, so you can work on one while waiting on another. Many households use more than one resource at the same time, and the sources above treat each program on its own terms.
Who to contact
- ECHO Riverview center: 10509 Riverview Dr, open Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. See the ECHO Riverview page.
- SNAP: apply through the Florida Department of Children and Families, using its public assistance page.
- WIC: contact a local office to schedule a certification appointment. The Brandon WIC office is at 1158 Bell Shoals Road, Unit 101, and services are by appointment only.
Sources
Compiled from the official sources below.