The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP)
Overview
The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) provides food assistance to underprivileged Americans through the distribution of United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) commodities. Under TEFAP, USDA foods are made available to states for distribution to households for use in preparing meals for home consumption or to organizations that prepare and provide meals for those in need.
Foods are distributed free, but recipients of food for home use must meet program eligibility criteria set by the state. State Agencies receive the food and oversee distribution. Local agencies, usually food banks, shelters, and soup kitchens have been designated by the state to distribute the food to eligible participants.
TEFAP provides food regularly for households in need, and is a separate program from USDA's Disaster Assistance Commodity Food Program, which provides food for mass feeding and household use of victims of natural disasters.
The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP)(External Web Content)
USDA/Food and Nutrition Service (FNS)
Qualifying and Applying
Public or private nonprofit organizations that provide nutrition assistance to low-income Americans, either through the distribution of food for home use or the preparation of meals, may receive food as local agencies. They must also meet the following criteria:
- organizations that distribute food for home use must determine household eligibility by applying income standards set by the State
- organizations that provide prepared meals must demonstrate that they serve predominately low-income persons
Households that meet State eligibility criteria may receive food for home use. States set income standards, which may, at the State's discretion, be met through participation in other existing Federal, State, or local food, health, or welfare programs for which eligibility is based on income.
Local agencies (usually food banks, shelters, and soup kitchens) have an agreement with the Utah Food Bank and have been designated to distribute the food to eligible participants.
Please contact the Utah State Board of Education Child Nutrition Program (CNP) for assistance understanding qualification requirements or if you need assistance with the application process.
Training
Please contact the Utah State Board of Education Child Nutrition Program (CNP) for training requests.
Resources
Child Nutrition Programs(External Web Content)
United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)/Food and Nutrition Service (FNS)
Forms
None at this time.
Resources
United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) /Food and Nutrition Service (FNS):
Policy
In coordination with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)/Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) our office distributes policy memorandums to provide guidance and clarify program requirements and regulations.
Memorandum: New Bulletin Distribution Explanation
A quick tutorial on how our office structures and distributes policy.
Highlighted USDA/FNS Policy Bulletins/Memorandums
The following policy bulletins/memorandums provide urgent or highly requested content:
- None at this time.
For all other related policy information, please refer to United States Department of Agriculture TEFAP Policy and Guidance(External Web Content)