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The Emergency Food Assistance Program

Section: Division A, Title I | Agency: Dept. of Agriculture and Consumer Services

USDA provides food ($5.5M) to be delivered to Florida's recipient agencies for distribution to eligible residents. Funding provides for reimbursement cost to recipients for storage, transportation and handling cost of the food they receive ($1.39M).

Brief description of program or funding including funding distribution method (formula or competitive grant):

The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) (Title 7 Code of Federal Regulations Part 251) is a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) program that provides nutrition assistance to the homeless and low income residents in the form of food commodities.  USDA allocates the TEFAP food and administrative funds to the states according to a legislatively mandated (federal) formula that bases the allocation on the State’s percentages of the Nation’s total needy and unemployed persons.  In Florida, TEFAP funds and commodities are allocated to the counties based on each county’s relative share of the State’s total number of persons with incomes below the poverty line and the total number of unemployed persons.  The state allocates the TEFAP food and funds for the appropriate county/counties to local eligible recipient agencies that they have selected and contracted with for this purpose.  The state-contracted Recipient Agencies distribute TEFAP food, along with other donated foods, to other emergency feeding organizations, i.e., food pantries, soup kitchens, food banks, shelters, etc., in the county or counties within their contracted area and they, in turn, distribute the donated food to those who meet the eligibility requirements. 

The US Department of Agriculture will provide the states with a list of foods that they intend to purchase with the ARRA TEFAP food funds.  From that list, the state places orders for the USDA food in an amount not to exceed the state’s ARRA TEFAP food amount.  The food is allocated to the current state-contracted TEFAP Recipient Agencies based on the same formula used to pass-through the regular TEFAP foods.  Subsequently, USDA purchases the TEFAP food based on the states’ orders and ships it to the Recipient Agencies’ designated warehouse(s).

When funds are expected to be available:   

The state does not receive any funds for TEFAP food.  Instead, the USDA provides each state with an allocation amount and provides a list of food items that may be ordered.  The state will order from that list of USDA foods not to exceed the amount allocated to the state.  USDA purchases the food and has it delivered to the designated Recipient Agencies’ warehouses.

How long are funds available: 

The allocation for ARRA TEFAP food is for Federal FY 2009 with delivery of food between June 2009 and March 2010.

Conditions or prerequisites for accessing funds (include matching or MOE requirements):

Since TEFAP is an existing program administered by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, FDACS already has a contract with the USDA to administer the program.  There is no state matching requirement.  The food will be provided to the state-contracted Recipient Agencies which administer TEFAP pursuant to Title 7, Code of Federal Regulations, Part 251.