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Program Overview

The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) is a federal program that helps supplement the diets of low income persons in Georgia, including the elderly, by providing them with emergency food and nutrition assistance at no cost.

Under TEFAP commodity foods are made available to the states by the USDA United States Department of Agriculture. The states provide the food to local agencies they have selected for distribution to the needy. These agencies include food banks and Georgia Community Action Agencies.

Food Banks subcontract with other organizations throughout the state, like food pantries, soup kitchens, hunger relief centers, or other food or feeding centers. Some food banks distribute food through brown bag programs to the elderly. Georgia TEFAP Food Banks

Soup Kitchens provide meals to the needy and the homeless on a regular basis. Soup kitchens receive foods from the local food bank in their area for a small handling fee.

Food Pantries are any organization that distributes food to low income and unemployed households for home consumption. Food pantries receive commodity foods from the local food bank in their area for a small handling charge.

Georgia Community Action Agencies distribute a specified amount of USDA commodities to low-income and unemployed households at individually pre-scheduled intervals. The Commodities are received directly from a state contracted warehouse through orders placed with the state. Local distributions are conducted at sites that are advertised through public notices to the general public in advance of the distribution date. Georgia Community Action Agencies

For more information on availability in your area, contact one of the food banks or community action agencies. For questions or concerns about TEFAP, please contact the state office at (404) 463-2607, (404) 463-8042, or (404) 657-3742.