Ever heard of a crockpot? Toss the ingredients in, let it simmer while you are at work.
You can cook rice in a ricecooker with about 2 minutes of work.
Add the contents of the former with the latter, and you'll have a cheap, tasty meal in less time than it takes to stand in line at BK.
Now you've introduced two appliances -- cheap ones, to be sure -- an element of skill, and prep time before work instead of after. I'm not saying that it's impossible, or even all that difficult, but it's something that needs to be taught, rather than just handing over a voucher or an EBT card.
If it would help bring people in, pitch it as cultural history and community pride, not as charity -- red beans and rice, gumbo, chili, black beans, menudo -- these are all rich in history as well as nutrition.