There's a ton of dispersed camping around Prescott. I preferred the Lower Wolf Creek area but camping just past Thumb Butte works in a pinch if you don't want to drive far. If you want to keep everything legit, move your camp every seven days and switch between the two ranger districts by going up towards Mingus Mountain (or elsewhere in general.) You're allowed 14 days in each ranger district, so you could feasibly cover a month with a little fudging. If you trust your vehicle on rough dirt roads, there's some spots going up Senator Highway toward and past Poland Junction, ~12 miles out of town and up 1400 feet in elevation. I point this out because it is significantly cooler and might be worth it.
As for free food, be sure to hit up the Salvation Army right off of the square. They serve breakfast & lunch M-F and have a food pantry in the afternoon. You can find out about all the other resources in town from there. I won't even try to list them all, but there's enough meals around town that you wouldn't have to spend a dime on food. With a little humility and planning, there's no reason to starve in Prescott. It's probably one of the nicest THURD crowd communities that I have ever run in to, as people are certainly not struggling for food. Also, check out St Vincent de Paul Society on Summit Ave if you're in a bind. They will help you out with a variety of services: at minimum, a monthly food box but bicycle repairs, sleeping bags and more have been offered. Catholic Charities on the same street used to give out gas vouchers at the beginning of the month, though that may be very scarce or nonexistent by now.
My only warning concerning Prescott are the police- they are aggressive toward our type and will make your life miserable if you do not dot your i's and cross your t's. It's a county seat and they have very little to do other than patrol downtown, including Granite Creek Park. They will take note of you & your vehicle and not hesitate to stop you for the most minor of infractions. My ex and I were pulled over once for a non-critical taillight being out and the officer tried to give me a ticket for not wearing a seat belt properly (which I fought and won.) I was pulled over on a bicycle FIVE times within eight years for silly things like riding on a sidewalk or being on the wrong side of a road. So yeah.. just pay attention when you're on the road or you will end up with a ticket.
