Program History

Section 4018(b) of the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (PL 115-334) amended Section 203D of the Emergency Food Assistance Act of 1983 to provide funding to state agencies administering The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) to pay for projects to harvest, process, package, or transport commodities donated by agricultural producers, processors, or distributors for use by emergency feeding organizations (EFOs).

These projects are known as Farm to Food Bank Projects. The purpose of Farm to Food Bank Projects is to a) reduce food waste at the agricultural production, processing, or distribution level through the donation of food, b) provide food to individuals in need, and c) build relationships between agricultural producers, processors, and distributors and EFOs through the donation of food.

For more information, please refer to TEFAP State Plan Requests and Allocations for Fiscal Year 2024 Farm to Food Bank Projects.

FY 2024 Funding Summary

During the fifth year of Farm to Food Bank Project funding, FNS allocated $3,772,000 to 27 TEFAP state agencies that submitted plans to implement Farm to Food Bank projects.  Twenty-six of those state agencies received funding in a previous fiscal year (FY) and one is a newly participating agency.

The 27 state agencies conducting a Farm to Food Bank project in FY 2024 are highlighted in the map below. States/territories highlighted in maroon also received a Farm to Food Bank project award in a previous fiscal year. States/territories highlighted in orange are newly participating in FY 2024. A summary of each state/territory’s project can be found by clicking on the state/territory's name in the map, list below the map, or scrolling down the page.

Arizona

The Arizona Department of Economic Security will continue to utilize Farm to Food Bank Project funds to transport, sort, and pack donated produce for distribution in five counties in southern Arizona, in collaboration with Community Food Bank (CFB). In FY 23, this collaborative effort created a pipeline of fresh produce to food banks from over 280 local farmers and produce brokers. In FY 24, CFB will continue to provide fresh produce directly to Arizona's low-income households in their southern Arizona service area. Additional efforts will be made this year to improve equity of distribution and service across the entire service area, especially in rural areas.

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Arkansas

The Arkansas Department of Human Services, Division of Child Care and Early Childhood Education will continue to work with six food banks in the State (Arkansas Food Bank, River Valley Regional Food Bank, Food Bank of North Central Arkansas, Food Bank of Northeast Arkansas, Harvest Texarkana Regional Food Bank, and Northwest Arkansas Food Bank) and their community partners on its FY 24 Farm to Food Bank project. Funds will be used to harvest, process, package and transport food which would otherwise go to waste. These foods will be distributed by TEFAP eligible recipient agencies (ERAs) to families and individuals in need that reside within the food banks’ respective service area. This project is a continuation of their FY 23 Farm to Food Bank project.

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California

For a third year in a row, the California Department of Social Services will work to support an existing program, The California Association of Food Banks (CAFB) Farm to Family Program, with federal Farm to Food Bank project funding. The CAFB Farm to Family Program works with California producers and TEFAP providers to arrange for donated produce to be gleaned and transported to food banks for further distribution to those in need. The project has been shown to increase food donations by producers, support the agricultural industry, and provide fresh, local food to those seeking emergency food assistance.

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Colorado

FY 24 Farm to Food Bank Project funds awarded to the Colorado Department of Human Services will be used to support ongoing collaborations between Colorado's Feeding America food banks and Colorado farmers which are intended to rescue food items that do not meet the standards of the retail market and would otherwise be wasted. Rescued food is distributed to those in need through the state’s network of programs and hunger relief partners. This project is a continuation of their FY 23 Farm to Food Bank project.

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Delaware

The Delaware Office of Management and Budget and the Food Bank of Delaware will utilize FY 24 Farm to Food Bank Project funds to continue to support partnerships and business relationships with Delaware growers, and to secure fresh produce donations for distribution through the food bank’s distribution network. The Food Bank of Delaware will also use project funds to support an initiative that uses the Food Rescue Heroes app to facilitate donations of fresh farm products. Through the app, food bank volunteers pick up product from farms and drop it off at local food pantries. This project is a continuation of their FY 23 Farm to Food Bank project.

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Florida

The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) will use FY 24 Farm to Food Bank Project funding to continue its partnership with two contracted gleaning organizations, the Society of St. Andrew and Christians Reaching to Society (CROS) Ministries. Since FY 20, these two organizations have utilized Farm to Food Bank Project funding to reduce food waste through field gleaning projects. Farm to Food Bank Project funds are used to harvest and transport unharvested and unprocessed agricultural commodities which are then donated to TEFAP contracted food banks.

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Hawaii

The Hawaii Office of Community Services will continue to work with The Hawaii Foodbank - Oahu (Honolulu County) and Kauai (Kauai County) Branches to distribute unharvested, unprocessed, and unpackaged foods donated by local producers and farmers. Food donations are secured through gleaning projects, and additional funds are utilized to transport gleaned produce to food distribution locations. This project is a continuation of their FY 23 Farm to Food Bank project.

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Idaho

For the third year in a row, the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare (IDHW) will work with the Idaho Foodbank on its Farm to Food Bank project. The project aims will focus on continuing to strengthen and expand existing relationships between the Idaho Foodbank and agricultural producers across the state. Funds will be utilized by Idaho Foodbank to conduct outreach to local farms to solicit donations and to help transport donated food from the farms to Idaho Foodbank's distribution facilities for processing and distribution through pantries and meal sites across the state. This project is a continuation of their FY 23 Farm to Food Bank project.

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Illinois

The Illinois Department of Human Services will continue to use Farm to Food Bank Project funds to support a state-wide program intended to expand the quantity and quality of fresh, locally sourced foods available to food-insecure families and individuals through the state’s food bank network. On behalf of the state, Feeding Illinois coordinates this program, working to rescue excess farm fresh food and redirect it to food banks. Funds are used to reimburse contributing agricultural entities for pick and pick out costs associated with the products being donated. This project is a continuation of their FY 23 Farm to Food Bank project.

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Iowa

The Iowa Department of Human Services will continue to partner with participating Iowa food banks to reduce food waste by transporting, packaging, and distributing products from local processors and distributors that may otherwise go to waste. The food banks will use the funds provided to transport products from the producers to the food banks for distribution through their networks. Funds will also be used for supplies to repackage the foods into appropriate household size bundles or containers. This project is a continuation of their FY 23 Farm to Food Bank project.

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Kentucky

The Kentucky Department of Agriculture's FY 24 Farm to Food Bank project will reduce food waste, increase access to nourishing food among those at risk of hunger, and strengthen relationships between producers and emergency feeding organizations (EFOs). The project is structured in such a way that producers with surplus produce are connected with a Feeding Kentucky food bank that is able to distribute the foods to clients. Many of these foods would have otherwise been plowed under in the field because of a lack of market for them. This project is a continuation of their FY 23 Farm to Food Bank project.

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Louisiana

The Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry will work with the Food Bank of Northwest Louisiana, The Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank, Second Harvest Food Bank, and The Food Bank of Central Louisiana, on its FY 24 Farm to Food Bank project. Funds will be utilized to connect farmers and processors with food banks through donation websites, to identify and create additional similar partnerships that will connect donated fresh produce and protein foods to those in need, and to process and package donated wild game for distribution through emergency feeding networks.

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Maine

The Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation, and Forestry will partner with Healthy Acadia’s Downeast Gleaning Initiative (HA) to harvest and distribute locally grown fruits and vegetables to emergency feeding organizations (EFOs) across Hancock and Washington counties. Through this work, they will partner with farmers and gardeners to identify surplus products and coordinate logistics to rescue food while it is still a highly desirable product. Fresh products from Hancock and Washington County gardens and farms will likely include root, brassica and squash crops, leafy greens, herbs, blueberries, apples and other available vegetables and fruit. This food will be distributed to a wide network of EFOs, helping to alleviate hunger while also improving the nutritional value of offerings at EFOs.

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Michigan

The Michigan Department of Education will work with local dairy producers on its FY 24 Farm to Food Bank project. The project will divert unused milk product that would otherwise not have been utilized, and process it into cheese, cottage cheese, and yogurt products for household consumption. The products will be packaged in household-sized portions and then distributed to TEFAP-eligible households via Michigan’s network of food banks.

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Missouri

The Missouri Department of Social Services will continue its partnership with Southeast Missouri Food Bank, Ozarks Food Harvest, and Second Harvest Community Food Bank for its FY 24 Farm to Food Bank project. Funds will be utilized to support the harvesting, processing, packaging, and transportation of donated row crops which will be distributed to Missourians in need through emergency feeding organizations. This project is a continuation of their FY 23 Farm to Food Bank project.

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New Hampshire

The New Hampshire Department of Administrative Services will use FY 24 Farm to Food Bank funds to connect local growers and producers to local emergency feeding organizations, such as food pantries, and to provide transportation of donated foods to these organizations. By working with producers to donate foods that may otherwise be at risk of going to waste, the project will increase sustainability of existing food systems and increase the quantity and quality of foods available to New Hampshire residents at emergency feeding organizations.

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North Carolina

The North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ FY 24 Farm to Food Bank project will continue its partnership with the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina, the Food Bank of the Albemarle, and the Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina. The three food banks will work collaboratively with local growers to rescue produce that does not meet standards of the retail market and that would otherwise be wasted, and to distribute the food to those in need. This project is a continuation of their FY 23 Farm to Food Bank project.

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Ohio

The Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS) will continue its Farm to Food Bank partnership with the Ohio Association of Foodbanks (OAF) in FY 24. OAF works with cheese producers to facilitate the processing, packaging, and transportation of "cheese trim" (excess cheese when making block cheese) that would otherwise go to waste. ODJFS will also continue supporting the existing Ohio Agriculture Clearance Program with FY 24 funding. This program is a partnership between ODJFS and Ohio farmers, growers, and commodity producers to secure excess fruits, vegetables, and protein foods for donation to emergency feeding organizations.

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Oregon

The Oregon Department of Human Services (DHS) will continue its partnership with the Oregon Food Bank (OFB) for its FY 24 Farm to Food Bank project. OFB works within its established network of regional food banks to strengthen relationships with agricultural producers across the state, to secure donations from these producers by reimbursing them for pick and pack out fees, and to coordinate transportation of the donations to emergency feeding organizations. This project is a continuation of their FY 23 Farm to Food Bank project.

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Pennsylvania

The PA Department of Agriculture (PDA) will use FY 24 Farm to Food Bank project funds to continue to supplement the Commonwealth's existing Pennsylvania Agricultural Surplus System (PASS). Created by the Pennsylvania General Assembly in 2010, PASS provides an efficient mechanism for Pennsylvania's agricultural industry to donate safe, wholesome food products while being reimbursed for the costs involved in harvesting, packaging, processing, and transporting these foods. Without PASS, these food products would likely otherwise be left to rot in the field, be plowed under, be dumped, or be landfilled. In this way, Pennsylvania-grown products stay in the state to help meet people's basic food needs. This project is a continuation of their FY 23 Farm to Food Bank project.

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Puerto Rico

The Puerto Rico Department of the Family (ADSEF - Administracion de Desarrollo Socioeconomico de la Familia) will continue their work with the Banco de Alimentos Puerto Rico (BAPR), utilizing project funds to pay for the costs of processing donated milk into UHT milk. Finished food product will be distributed to underserved populations through the food bank’s network of 150 agencies that reaches all 78 municipalities in Puerto Rico. This project is a continuation of their FY 23 Farm to Food Bank project.

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Texas

Since 2002, the Texas Department of Agriculture has provided state grant funds to help emergency feeding organizations gain access to surplus agricultural products by covering the cost of harvesting and transporting products donated to the organizations. The project has shown to reduce agricultural food waste and foster positive relationships throughout the agricultural and food bank community. The funding provided by FNS for FY 24 Farm to Food Bank projects will continue to increase the reach of this existing initiative, as has been done in previous years.

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Virginia

The Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services will use FY 24 Farm to Food Bank project funding to continue partnerships created between the Federation of Virginia Foodbanks and Farms, Vendors and Processors to distribute surplus products to Virginia residents in need. Funding will also provide additional food for individuals who are food insecure. The goal will be to build and maintain lasting relationships between the food banks and agricultural producers, vendors and processors that can provide foods for Virginians in need over a long period of time. This project is a continuation of their FY 23 Farm to Food Bank project.

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Washington

The Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) will use FY 24 Farm to Food Bank funds to support the ongoing work of the Farm to Food Pantry Initiative, which has been operated by Harvest Against Hunger since 2014. The initiative purchases and distributes gleaning, processing, and packaging materials to gleaning organizations to help divert surplus produce to food banks. WSDA will also use FY 24 to fund new and continuing Farm to Food Bank projects carried out by emergency feeding organizations (EFOs). This subgrant program allows EFOs to work with local farms and gleaning organizations to process and distribute donated produce through local food banks and pantries.

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West Virginia

The West Virginia Department of Agriculture will use FY 24 Farm to Food Bank project funds to continue to offset the costs of harvesting, packaging, and transporting local produce to Facing Hunger Food Bank and Mountaineer Food Bank. This project will provide opportunities to cultivate new and continue current donor relationships between the food bank and producers in West Virginia. This project is a continuation of their FY 23 Farm to Food Bank project.

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Wisconsin

Wisconsin Department of Health Services will carry out two projects with FY 24 funding. The first, carried out in collaboration with the Hunger Task Force, will produce various dairy products such as cottage cheese, yogurt, and cheese, from donated milk that would have otherwise been wasted. The second project will be carried out in partnership with Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin, which will further partner with Blue Harbor Fish Company to secure donations of salmon that would have otherwise been wasted, and to process the salmon into two-pound fillets. The fish will then be distributed to those in need by Solve Hunger Network and the NEW Hmong Professionals, with a specific focus on providing culturally relevant food products to Hmong communities throughout the Fox Valley.

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Wyoming

The Wyoming Department of Family Services will continue working with the Food Bank of Wyoming on its FY 24 Farm to Food Bank project. The food bank will utilize project funds to obtain, transport, and distribute locally grown donated produce and protein products to those in need. This will be done by working with growers throughout the state of Wyoming to secure donations. The donated foods will be distributed to local food pantry partners for further distribution to those facing hunger in Wyoming. The Food Bank of Wyoming hopes to build stronger relationships with agricultural producers, processors and partner organizations throughout the state through the project. This project is a continuation of their FY 23 Farm to Food Bank project.

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The Restaurant Meals Program (RMP) is a state option to allow certain SNAP clients, who might not be able to prepare meals for themselves or who do not have permanent housing for storing and preparing food, to be able to buy prepared meals at restaurants with their SNAP benefits.

Which SNAP Clients can use their SNAP Benefits at Restaurants?

To be eligible for the RMP, SNAP clients must be certified for SNAP in a state that has an RMP and all members of the household must be either:

• Elderly (60 years of age or older);
• disabled (receives disability or blindness payments or receives disability retirement benefits from a governmental agency because of a disability considered permanent);
• homeless; or
• a spouse of a SNAP client who is eligible for the RMP.

Which Restaurants can Participate in the RMP?

To participate in the RMP, the restaurant must:

• Be in a state that has an RMP.
• Get approval from the state and provide a signed agreement to FNS.
• Be authorized by FNS to accept SNAP benefits.

Each state can set their own requirements for choosing how many and which restaurants they want to allow to participate in their state's RMP. For more information, please contact the RMP contact for your participating state listed below.

If you are a restaurant owner that has a signed agreement with the state and is ready to apply for SNAP authorization, you will need to submit a completed FNS 252-2 application to FNS.

Mail your complete application package and your signed RMP agreement to the following address:

Retailer Service Center
USDA Food and Nutrition Services
PO Box 7228
Falls Church, VA 22040

For questions about the SNAP authorization process, contact the FNS Retailer Service Center at:
1-877-823-4369.

Is the Restaurant Responsible for Determining which SNAP Clients are Allowed to Use their SNAP Benefits at Restaurants?

No. SNAP clients who are eligible will have an EBT card that is coded by the state to allow their cards to be accepted at participating restaurants. An EBT card will automatically be declined if the SNAP client is not eligible.

What Kind of Equipment do Restaurants Need to Accept SNAP benefits?

Restaurants must have a point-of-sale (POS) device that is programmed to accept Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) cards. If your restaurant already uses equipment that accepts credit/debit cards, you can contact your third-party processor (TPP) to ask about adding EBT to your service.

States that Operate a Restaurant Meals Program

Resources

• FNS 252-2 Application
• Selecting a Third Party Processor
• Retailer Training

The following store type definitions include the store type name, two letter code, and a general description of how the store operates its business.