Last update: 07/14/2009

Food programs

The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP)

General Administration manages the Emergency Food Assistance Program and the Commodity Supplemental Food Program, receiving food and operational funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture for distribution to 21 lead agencies. These agencies provide food to 450 food banks, shelters and meal providers in Washington. They serve hungry low-income children, adults, elderly and the homeless.

Program sees spike as more people seek food
The program is experiencing a 19 percent increase in demand statewide. The increase is projected to be 38 percent by the end of 2010. This would be the greatest increase in clients since the program began in 1981.

Who receives food assistance
Each month food banks provide food to nearly 90,000 households and 266,000 low-income family members. Meal providers use this food in the preparation of hot meals. Foods include chicken, tuna, beef stew, applesauce, rice, whole grain pasta, fruits, shelf-stable milk, cereal, juices, baking mix and more.  

Demand outpaces increased federal support
Although federal support has almost doubled, it is not keeping pace with rising food costs and the dramatic increase in people using food banks and meal programs. Governor Chris Gregoire’s proposed state budget adds an additional $5 million to provide emergency food to Washington's vulnerable citizens and operational support for emergency providers. The additional funding would:  

  • Buy 5.6 million pounds of food, which will provide approximately 4.4 million more nutritious meals.
  • Allow for emphasis on meeting the nutritional needs of infants, seniors and other clients.
  • Improve ability to better target the types of food needed by diverse food-assistance providers to address unique rural and urban areas.
  • Provide for operational support to strengthen existing food distribution and provider networks to improve efficiencies and promote cost savings that would allow providers to give more food to low-income clients.
  • Offset rising food costs. The average cost per pound has increased by 30 percent.
  • Complement federal purchases with state food to better target the types of food needed by diverse food-assistance providers to address unique rural and urban areas.
  • Immediately use federal funding that has been budgeted for future use to increase current food supply and offset increase in demand.

Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP)

The Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP) is a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) program that provides nutritious food “packages” designated specifically for the nutritional needs of low-income pregnant and breastfeeding women, other new mothers up to one year postpartum, infants, children up to age six (not on WIC), and elderly people at least 60 years of age.

USDA contracts with the Department of General Administration (GA) to manage the administration and distribution of CSFP funding and food for the State of Washington. GA leverages the current TEFAP distribution system for the distribution of CSFP via food banks and other food assistance providers.

CSFP is not offered in all states nor is it available statewide due to federal funding limits. Currently the counties served are: Asotin, Columbia, Garfield, Grays Harbor, Island, Kitsap, Lewis, Mason, Pacific, Snohomish, Spokane, Thurston, Walla Walla, and Whitman.

On a monthly basis, CSFP provides approximately 27 pounds of nutritious food to 3,666 low-income clients. Annually, this results in over $1 million worth of USDA food which means an additional 1,175,931 pounds of nutritional food is available for our most vulnerable low-income hungry people.

In 2009, GA requested an additional 1,615 caseload slots to meet existing unmet need amongst current CSFP sites and also to expand CSFP to rural Eastern Washington areas such as Okanogan, White Salmon, and Moses Lake. However, due to budget constraints on a national level, USDA was only able to approve a caseload increase of 14 slots.

Program Features:

  • Children (6 and under) are at or below 185% of the poverty level
  • Over 90% of CSFP clients are elderly and are at or below 130% of the poverty level
  • Clients receive “real” food targeted for their nutritional needs and not a food “voucher”
  • Food Providers are not just providing food to the low-income they are also:
    • Providing links to other federal food programs such as Basic Food, WIC and the Summer Food Service Program
    • Helping clients make healthy food choices within a limited budget
    • Providing links to community nutrition education
  • CSFP’s product focus is on nutritional supplementation such as mixed fruit, mixed vegetables, applesauce, peaches, beans, carrots, apple juice, orange juice, evaporated milk, reduced fat cheese, potatoes, cereal, rice and tuna.
  • GA Food Programs TEFAP/CSFP Advisory Group provides valuable input on how to keep the food programs responsive to the needs of the low-income and contribute to the statewide efforts of alleviating hunger

The Food Programs assist in the commitment to feed Washington’s hungry with USDA food distributions via food banks and food assistance providers. We help our partners leverage existing resources to create a collaborative statewide food network that provides children and low-income people access to food, a healthful diet and nutrition education in a manner that supports American agriculture.