TEFAP

The Emergency Food Program Assistant Program

Understanding TEFAP Eligibility

TEFAP (The Emergency Food Assistance Program) is a federal program that provides free, emergency food assistance. While the USDA funds it, state agencies administer it and distribute it through local food banks and pantries.

Because of this structure, eligibility has two layers:

1. The Federal Guideline (The Baseline)

· At a minimum, a household must be at or below 185% of the Federal Poverty Income Guidelines. Below is the Chart from the PA Gov website. Under 185%

· This is the same income standard used for the National School Lunch Program and WIC. It's a higher threshold than SNAP in many cases.