General Information

TEFAP information was derived from the following website: http://www.fns.usda.gov/fdd/programs/tefap/

The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) is a Federal program that helps supplement the diets of low-income needy persons, including elderly people, by providing them with emergency food and nutrition assistance.   Under TEFAP, commodity foods are made available by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to States. States provide the food to local agencies that they have selected, usually food banks, which in turn, distribute the food to soup kitchens and food pantries that directly serve the public.

To download a brochure about TEFAP, please click here.

Eligibility for TEFAP

Each State sets criteria for determining what households are eligible to receive food for home consumption. Income standards 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.

Click here to see the TEFAP eligibility information

Income Criteria

States can adjust the income criteria in order to ensure that assistance is provided only to those households most in need. However, recipients of prepared meals are considered to be needy and are not subject to a means test.