If you've got an EBT or Lone Star card and you've been looking for a way to use it that doesn't involve driving to a grocery store, this post is for you. FreshDrop HTX is a mobile grocery truck serving Houston and the surrounding area, and yes — we take EBT. Your card works at our truck the same way it works at H-E-B, Kroger, or anywhere else you shop.
I started FreshDrop HTX in 2025 because too many Houston families were getting cut off from real groceries. Not because they didn't have benefits, but because they couldn't get to a store, or the store was too far, or the closest place that took EBT was a corner store charging way too much for basics. A mobile grocery truck solves that. We pull up to your neighborhood, you shop right at the truck, and your card works the way it's supposed to.
This guide walks through what FreshDrop is, how scheduling works, what you can buy with EBT on the truck, and who this service is built for. If you've got questions I don't answer here, call or text us at (346) 480-5999 and we'll get them answered straight.
- FreshDrop HTX is a USDA-authorized SNAP retailer. We can legally accept EBT and Lone Star cards at the truck, just like any grocery store.
- Your card works at the truck exactly like it works at the store. Swipe, PIN, done.
- We accept Lone Star, EBT, debit, credit, cash, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Cash App.
- No delivery fee. Ever.
- $150 minimum order per stop. Built for families doing a real grocery run, not a quick top-up.
- We come to you. Delivery Mon-Fri 9 AM-5 PM. Weekends by appointment.
- Schedule 24/7. Call or text anytime — Jordan handles scheduling around the clock.
What Is FreshDrop HTX?
FreshDrop HTX is Houston's mobile grocery truck. We're not a delivery app, we're not a meal kit, and we're not a food pantry. We're a real refrigerated grocery truck that pulls up to your neighborhood — your house, your apartment complex, your church, your job — and you shop right at the truck the same way you'd shop at a small grocery store.
We carry bulk meats, frozen goods, pantry staples, breakfast foods, drinks, snacks, and pastries. Everything on our truck is sold packaged, frozen, or shelf-stable. You take it home, store it, and cook it when you're ready.
We serve over 30 communities across Greater Houston — from Third Ward and Acres Homes to Pearland, Katy, Cypress, Baytown, Conroe, and everywhere in between. If you're within 50 miles of Porter, TX, we can come to you.
You can read more about how FreshDrop works or see the areas we serve if you want the broader picture.
How Scheduling and Shopping Works
Here's the whole process, start to finish:
Step 1: Call or text to schedule a stop. Reach out at (346) 480-5999 — call or text, doesn't matter. Our AI receptionist Jordan handles the intake: she'll get your name, phone number, address (or nearest cross-street if you're in an apartment), and your preferred delivery date. Once she has that, you're on the schedule.
Step 2: We pull up at the scheduled time. The truck arrives at the time we agreed on. Real truck, real driver — that's me or someone on my team. You come outside, or come down from your apartment, or open up your church doors, whatever the situation is, and we open up the truck.
Step 3: You shop. Just like at a grocery store. You walk through what we have on the truck — meats, frozen foods, snacks, drinks, breakfast items — and pick what you want. We can text or email you a copy of the full menu beforehand if you want to plan your order.
Step 4: Checkout at the truck. When you're done shopping, we ring up your order on a handheld terminal. If you're paying with EBT or Lone Star, you swipe your card, enter your PIN, and the eligible food charges come off your card balance. You get a receipt.
Step 5: You're done. You take your groceries home. If you want to schedule another stop, call or text (346) 480-5999.
That's the whole process. No different from shopping at a store, except the store comes to you.
What You Can Buy With EBT at FreshDrop
Almost everything we sell is SNAP-eligible. That includes:
- Bulk meats — pork chops, ham hocks, 7-steaks, oxtails, ground beef, chicken breast strips, ribs, smoked sausage, fresh fish, jumbo shrimp, hot wings (frozen), wingettes, chicken strips, nuggets, fish sticks, and more
- Frozen prepared foods — boudin, eggrolls (boudin, pork, and cheeseburger), hot pockets, chicken fried rice, pizza rolls, Red Baron pizza, corn dogs, cheeseburgers, lasagna pans, Lunchables, broccoli rice bowls, spaghetti combos, hotdog combos, lunch combos, chicken alfredo combos
- Shelf-stable groceries — rice, Velveeta mac n cheese, Velveeta cups, Vienna sausage, fruit cups, ramen cups, ramen bags, cheese balls, raviolis, chips, oil
- Sides — sweet potatoes (3-pack), greens (3-pack)
- Breakfast foods — cereal and milk, breakfast packs (with sausage or bacon), croissant sandwiches, waffles, pancake sticks, kolaches
- 100% juices and water — Apple & Eve 100% juice, Capri Sun 100% juice, orange juice, apple juice, Body Armor Lyte, Roaring Waters, regular water
- Snacks, cookies, and pastries — Nabisco classic, Ritz, Chips Ahoy, Oreos, Pop-Tarts, variety snack mix, honey buns, muffins, Big Tex cakes, donuts, Twinkie mix, Rice Krispy treats, super donuts
Everything is sold packaged, frozen, or shelf-stable for you to take home and prepare yourself. We don't sell hot prepared foods.
If you want the full menu with what's available right now, call or text us at (346) 480-5999 and we'll send it to you by text or email.
What You Can't Buy With EBT at FreshDrop
There are a few things federal SNAP rules don't allow EBT to cover, and we follow those rules at the truck:
- Candy — as of April 1, 2026, we no longer accept EBT for candy purchases
- Sugary sodas — same as above
- Hot or prepared foods — not an issue at our truck because we don't sell hot food, but worth knowing the rule
- Alcohol, tobacco, paper products, household items, vitamins, or pet food — none of which we carry anyway
If you want any of those items, you can still buy them — you just have to pay with another method (debit, credit, cash, Apple Pay, Google Pay, or Cash App). We can split the transaction. You pay for the SNAP-eligible food with your EBT card, and the rest with whatever else you've got.
Lone Star and EBT — Same Card
Quick note in case anyone's confused: the Lone Star Card is Texas's name for the EBT card. Same thing.
At FreshDrop, we accept Lone Star and EBT cards from any state. Doesn't matter if you just moved to Houston from Louisiana or Georgia — if your card has benefits on it and you're at one of our stops in our service area, you can shop.
The $150 Minimum — Who FreshDrop Is Built For
I want to be straight with you about this because it matters.
FreshDrop has a $150 minimum order per stop. That's firm. It applies whether you pay with EBT, cash, or anything else.
The reason is simple — we drive a refrigerated truck out to your neighborhood. Gas, time, the truck itself, refrigeration, the driver — that costs money. A $50 order doesn't cover the cost of the trip out, and if we did $50 orders, we wouldn't be in business long enough to serve anyone. The minimum lets us actually keep doing this.
What that means in practice: FreshDrop is built for families doing a real grocery run, not a quick top-up. If you've got an EBT balance and you're shopping for a week or two of meals for your household — meats, frozen meals, breakfast foods, drinks, snacks — $150 is normal. Most of our customers spend between $200 and $400 per stop because they're stocking up.
If you only need a few items, FreshDrop isn't the right fit for that day — a corner store or a quick trip to the supermarket makes more sense. But if you're doing your weekly or biweekly bulk shop, especially when you don't have a car or you don't have time to make it to a store, that's exactly what we built FreshDrop for.
A lot of our customers do their FreshDrop run right after their benefits load. You've got the budget. You're planning for the next stretch. You want the food in your freezer so you don't have to think about it. We pull up, you shop, you're stocked.
How to Schedule a Stop in Your Neighborhood
When you're ready, it's simple:
- Call or text (346) 480-5999. Either works.
- Share your basic info. Jordan will get your name, phone number, address (or cross-street), and the day you want the truck out. If you're at an apartment, just give us the complex name and unit area. If you're booking for a church or organization, let us know how many people you expect.
- Pick a delivery date. Delivery windows are Monday through Friday, 9 AM to 5 PM. Saturdays and Sundays by appointment. You can call or text Jordan to schedule anytime — she's available 24/7.
- Ask for the menu. We'll text or email you a current copy so you can plan your order before we arrive.
- Be ready when we pull up. Have your card and your list ready. We'll do the rest.
That's it. If you're in any of our service areas — and we serve over 30 of them across Greater Houston — we can come to you.
Frequently Asked Questions
Bring FreshDrop to Your Block
If you've been wondering whether mobile grocery actually works for EBT families in Houston — it does. We've been doing it. Your card works at our truck the same way it works at H-E-B. When you're ready, call or text and we'll get you on the schedule.