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 food 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 One Big Beautiful Bill Act (PL 119-21, H.R.1), extends the authorization for TEFAP Farm to Food Bank projects through fiscal year (FY) 2031 and provides $4 million each year from FY 2025 through FY 2031.
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 2026 Farm to Food Bank Projects.
FY 2026 Funding Summary
In FY 2026, FNA allocated $8,000,000 to 34 TEFAP state agencies that submitted plans to implement Farm to Food Bank projects. Twenty-eight of those state agencies received funding in a previous FY and six are newly participating state agencies.
The 34 state agencies conducting a Farm to Food Bank project in FY 2026 are highlighted in the map below. States/territories highlighted in maroon (DE, PA, PR, VA, WV, CO, MO, MT, WY, IN, IA, MI, OH, WI, ME, AL, FL, KY, NC, AZ, AR, LA, TX, CA, HI, ID, OR, and WA) also received a Farm to Food Bank project award in a previous FY. States/territories highlighted in orange (DC, CT, SC, SD, TN, VT) are newly participating in FY 2026. 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.
Alabama
$168,547
Alabama State Department of Education will use the FY 2026 Farm to Food Bank project funding to work with partner agencies to rescue surplus and unmarketable agricultural products and redirect them for distribution to individuals in need. Funds will be used in collaboration with the Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries and participating food banks, to cover allowable costs associated with moving donated foods from farms or processors to emergency feeding organizations.
Arizona
$227,510
The Arizona Department of Economic Security FY 2026 Farm to Food Bank project funding will be used for transportation, sorting, and packing of donated produce in the Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona’s (CFB) 5-county service area, including Pima, Cochise, Graham, Greenlee, and Santa Cruz Counties. Arizona will also partner with the Southwest Produce Cooperative to source produce as available from neighboring states such as Texas and New Mexico. Arizona’s goal is to effectively distribute produce throughout CFB’s service area, especially in areas that experience barriers to access.
Arkansas
$111,275
The Arkansas Department of Education Food Distribution Unit will collaborate with six food banks across 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) on its FY 2026 Farm to Food Bank project. Project funds will support the harvesting, processing, packaging, and transportation of food that would otherwise go to waste. The recovered food will be distributed through the TEFAP program to eligible families and individuals within each food bank’s designated service area, increasing access to nutritious food while reducing food loss. This project is a continuation of their FY 2024 Farm to Food Bank project.
California
$1,386,859
The California Department of Social Services will work to support the existing California Association of Food Banks (CAFB) Farm to Family Program. 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.
Colorado
$170,000
The Colorado Department of Human Services FY 2026 Farm to Food Bank project funds will be used to support ongoing collaborations between Colorado's five 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 2024 Farm to Food Bank project.
Connecticut (New Participating State Agency)
$94,925
The Connecticut Department of Social Services is collaborating with its contracted TEFAP Food Bank, Connecticut Foodshare. Foodshare will establish new relationships with local growers to offset the costs of harvesting, processing, and packaging donated produce. This project will reduce food waste by utilizing produce that would not have been harvested or sold due to cosmetic quality issues. The produce will be distributed through Foodshare partner agencies, most of whom are TEFAP agencies.
Delaware
$26,665
The Delaware Office of Management and Budget will partner with the Food Bank of Delaware to utilize funds from the FY 2026 Farm to Food Bank project to support projects involving the harvesting, processing, packaging, or transportation of food that may otherwise go to waste. These funds will provide in-house packaging supplies so that further processing may be done using volunteers at the Food Bank locations prior to distributions. This project will supply nutritious donations to the over 200 food pantries and closets with food bank partners.
District of Columbia (New Participating State Agency)
$26,411
The District of Columbia Department of Health will use FY 2026 Farm to Food Bank project funds to support the aggregation and transportation of surplus, privately donated agricultural products from producers and distributors to Capital Area Food Bank, the District's primary emergency feeding organization serving District residents.
Florida
$691,573
The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services will use FY 2026 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 2020, 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 is used to harvest and transport unharvested and unprocessed agricultural foods which are then donated to TEFAP contracted food banks.
Hawaii
$30,556
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 prior Farm to Food Bank projects.
Idaho
$42,978
The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare will partner with the Idaho Foodbank to strengthen and expand existing relationships between the Idaho Foodbank and agricultural producers across the state. The Foodbank will utilize funds to conduct outreach to local farms to solicit donations and to help transport donated food from the farms to distribution facilities for processing and distribution through pantries and meal sites across the state.
Indiana
$220,374
The Indiana Department of Health will collaborate with Gleaners Food Bank of Indiana to support the Fresh Connect Central project. Funds will offset the cost of harvesting, processing, packaging, and transporting donated agricultural products and unprocessed livestock, allowing food banks to acquire approximately 265,962 pounds of products. Agricultural producers donate unprocessed and unpackaged foods to Fresh Connect, who will then negotiate a fee with the food banks to cover the remaining costs associated with harvesting, packaging, and transporting the products.
Iowa
$95,305
The Iowa Department of Health and Human Services will partner with four participating Iowa food banks to reduce food waste by harvesting, transporting, packaging, and distributing products from agriculture producers, processors, and distributors. Food banks will redistribute this inventory to emergency feeding organizations through their network to ensure it goes to people in need.
Kentucky
$180,405
The Kentucky Department of Agriculture FY 2026 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. The project is structured in such a way that producers with surplus produce are connected with a Feeding Kentucky Food Bank that can distribute the food to clients. This project is a continuation of their FY 2024 Farm to Food Bank project, and Kentucky plans to include donated wild game in this year’s program.
Louisiana
$188,931
The Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry and food banks will use FY 2026 Farm to Food Bank project funds to support the harvesting, processing, packaging, and transportation of unharvested, unprocessed, or unpackaged food donated by agricultural producers, processors, or distributors for distribution through The Emergency Food Assistance Program network in Louisiana. These efforts will expand existing food rescue channels, support donated products that otherwise might go to waste, and increase the volume of nutritious food available for individuals in need. The project will build on prior collaborations and will strengthen the statewide food recovery infrastructure by bridging agricultural donors with emergency feeding organizations and enhancing logistical capacity to deliver donated food to low-income households.
Maine
$38,982
The Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation, and Forestry will partner with the Healthy Acadia’s Downeast Gleaning Initiative to harvest and distribute locally grown fruits and vegetables to emergency feeding organizations (EFOs) across Hancock and Washington counties. Through this work, the Healthy Acadia’s Downeast Gleaning Initiative will partner with farmers and gardeners to identify surplus products and coordinate logistics to rescue food while it is still a highly desirable product. The rescued food will be distributed to a wide network of EFOs, helping to alleviate hunger while also improving the nutritional value of offerings at EFOs.
Michigan
$375,262
The Michigan Department of Education is partnering with the Food Bank Council of Michigan to coordinate among growers, processors, and the state’s seven Feeding America food banks. This project will allow farmers and producers to donate "B" products for processing and surplus products for direct use. Additionally, local processors will package donated foods for longer term storage and use variety.
Missouri
$196,537
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 2026 Farm to Food Bank project. Funds will be utilized to support the harvesting, processing, packaging, and transportation of donated produce, dairy, meat, and rice, which will be distributed to Missourians in need through emergency feeding organizations. This project is a continuation of their FY 2024 Farm to Food Bank project.
Montana
$29,802
The Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services will work with the Montana Food Bank Network to use FY 2026 Farm to Food Bank project funds to support the harvesting, processing, packaging, and transportation of Montana-grown agricultural products donated by local producers, processors, or distributors. The foods will be distributed to individuals and families experiencing food insecurity across Montana through the food bank and its network of partner agencies. Foods donated through this project are expected to include fresh fruits, vegetables and other unprocessed or minimally processed agricultural products.
North Carolina
$339,031
The North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services FY 2026 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 that would otherwise be wasted, and to distribute the food to those in need. This project is a continuation of their FY 2024 Farm to Food Bank project.
Ohio
$403,833
The Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS) will continue its Farm to Food Bank partnership with the Ohio Association of Foodbanks (OAF) and will also continue supporting the existing Ohio Agriculture Clearance Program. This program is a partnership between ODJFS and Ohio farmers, growers, and producers to secure excess fruits, vegetables, and protein foods for donation to emergency feeding organizations.
Oregon
$138,499
The Oregon Department of Human Services will continue its partnership with the Oregon Food Bank (OFB) for their FY 2026 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 2024 Farm to Food Bank project.
Pennsylvania
$393,536
The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture will use FY 2026 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.
Puerto Rico
$222,401
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 ultra-high temperature (UHT) milk. Finished food products will be distributed to underserved populations through the food bank’s network of 150 agencies that reaches all 78 municipalities.
South Carolina (New Participating State Agency)
$181,442
The South Carolina Department of Agriculture will provide funds to food banks to help offset the costs for producers to harvest and package excess produce that would otherwise be left in the field or diverted to the waste stream. The produce will then be distributed through the food bank’s existing network of partner agencies, including food pantries, senior centers, and on-site feeding programs.
South Dakota (New Participating State Agency)
$16,461
The South Dakota Department of Education will partner with Feeding South Dakota (FSD) to implement a produce bagging equipment project to enhance FSD's capacity to process, package, and distribute bulk agricultural products donated by local farmers and other agricultural partners. Funds will be utilized to purchase equipment and packaging materials and provide staff and volunteer training to allow large volumes of unprocessed product to be efficiently packaged into household sizes, ensuring that foods with a short shelf-life reach individuals and families experiencing food insecurity more quickly and with less waste.
Tennessee (New Participating State Agency)
$219,649
The Tennessee Department of Agriculture will use FY 2026 Farm to Food Bank project funds to work with Hunters for the Hungry and Tennessee meat processors to donate venison to individuals in need. This project will provide protein food to Tennessee's food insecure population while mitigating the major damage done to row crops by deer at the same time.
Texas
$1,082,455
The Texas Department of Agriculture will utilize funds to help emergency feeding organizations gain access to surplus Texas agricultural products. State funds have reduced barriers to food donation by covering eligible costs associated with the harvesting, handling, and transportation of Texas-grown agricultural products donated by producers, and Farm to Food Bank project funds will expand and strengthen this existing initiative. By increasing capacity for surplus food recovery and distribution, the project will enhance food access for low-income individuals and families, reduce food loss at multiple points in the supply chain, and further integrate agricultural partners into Texas’s emergency food assistance network.
Vermont (New Participating State Agency)
$11,030
The Vermont Agency of Education is partnering with Vermont Foodbank to defray costs associated with donated food from agricultural producers, processors, and distributors, thereby reducing food waste and ensuring that surplus foods are instead redirected to Vermonters in need. Funding will enable fresh produce, local dairy products, and other agricultural products to be recovered and efficiently moved into Vermont’s emergency food system. The project will also allow the state and Foodbank to strengthen their relationships with current agricultural partners and establish new partnerships with food producers, processors, and distributors operating in or serving Vermont.
Virginia
$221,007
The Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services will use FY 2026 Farm to Food Bank project funding to continue partnerships created between the Federation of Virginia Food Banks and Farms. Vendors and processors will distribute surplus products to Virginia residents in need. The goal will be to build and maintain lasting relationships between the food banks and agricultural producers, vendors and processors that can provide food for Virginians in need over a long period of time.
Washington
$227,000
The Washington State Department of Agriculture will use FY 2026 Farm to Food Bank project funding to partner with 10 TEFAP lead agencies on its Farm to Food Pantry (F2FP) program. Founded in 2014, F2FP uses funds to support gleaning, packing and transporting produce from local participating farms to food banks and food pantries, increasing access to fresh food for TEFAP participants while reducing food waste. In previous years, the program's most donated produce have been specialty crops such as watermelon, apples, lettuce, tomatoes and onions. In FY 2026, Washington hopes to add donated meat products from ranchers to F2FP operations.
West Virginia
$65,576
The West Virginia Department of Agriculture will use FY 2026 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.
Wisconsin
$158,659
The Wisconsin Department of Health Services will carry out three projects in FY 2026. The first, in partnership with the Community Action Coalition for South Central Wisconsin, is to recover fresh unsold produce from farmers markets that will be further processed and distributed at food pantries. The second project will be carried out in partnership with Second Harvest Food Bank of Southern Wisconsin, which will further partner with FF&G processors to reclaim salmon that does not meet appearance standards and distribute at meal sites and food pantries. The third project, a partnership between Hunger Task Force and Marieke Gouda, a dairy processor, will donate excess milk to produce gouda cheese that will be distributed to 30 food pantries in the food bank's service area.
Wyoming
$16,524
The Wyoming Department of Family Services will continue working with the Food Bank of Wyoming on its FY 2026 Farm to Food Bank project. Donations will be provided by Wyoming-based agricultural producers, processors, and distributors with surplus or unsold inventory due to cosmetic standards, market fluctuations, or transportation constraints. This project will help recover and distribute those products through Food Bank of Wyoming's statewide network of more than 150 partner agencies, including food pantries, meal programs, senior centers, and mobile distributions. This project is a continuation of their FY 2024 Farm to Food Bank project.