Overview
Through TEFAP, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) purchases USDA Foods, including processing and packaging, and makes it available to State Distributing Agencies. The amount of food that each State receives out of the total amount of food that is provided is based on the number of unemployed persons and the number of people with incomes below the poverty level in the State. States provide the food to local agencies that they have selected, usually food banks, which in turn, distribute the food to local organizations such as soup kitchens and food pantries that directly serve the public.
Get Food Assistance
Contact Your Regional Food Bank
For food assistance, you will need to contact the food bank that provides services in the county you reside in or visit their website to find a distributing partner (pantry, soup kitchen, and so on.) See table below for food bank information.
| Food Bank | Address | Phone |
| Food Bank for New York City Counties Served: Bronx, Kings, New York, Queens, Richmond | 355 Food Center Drive Bronx, NY 10474 | (718) 991-4300 |
| Regional Food Bank of Northeastern NY Counties Served: Albany, Clinton, Columbia, Delaware, Dutchess, Essex, Franklin, Fulton, Greene, Hamilton, Montgomery, Orange, Otsego, Putnam, Rensselaer, Rockland, Saratoga, Schenectady, Schoharie, Sullivan, Ulster, Warren, Washington | Latham Location: 965 Albany-Shaker Road Latham, NY 12110 OR Orange County Location: 580 NY-416 Montgomery, NY 12549. | (518) 786-3691 |
| FeedMore WNY Counties Served: Cattaraugus, Chatauqua, Erie, Niagara | 91 Holt Street Buffalo, NY 14206 | (716) 852-1305 |
| Food Bank of Central NY Counties Served: Cayuga, Chenango, Cortland, Herkimer, Jefferson, Lewis, Madison, Oneida, Onondaga, Oswego, St. Lawrence | 7066 Interstate Island Rd. Syracuse, NY 13209 | (315) 437-1899 |
| Foodlink Counties Served: Allegany, Genesee, Livingston, Monroe, Ontario, Orleans, Seneca, Wayne, Wyoming, Yates | 2011 Mt Read Blvd Rochester, NY 14615 | (585) 328-3380 |
| Long Island Cares Counties Served: Nassau, Suffolk | 10 Davids Drive (Harry Chapin Way) Hauppauge, NY 11788-2039 | (631) 582-3663 |
| Food Bank of the Southern Tier Counties Served: Broome, Chemung, Schuyler, Steuben, Tioga, Tompkins | 388 Upper Oakwood Ave. Elmira, New York 14903 | (607) 796-6061 |
| Feeding Westchester Counties Served: Westchester | 200 Clearbrook Road Elmsford, NY | (914) 923-1100 |
Am I Eligible?
Effective January 2023, the New York State TEFAP eligibility guidelines concerning products for household consumption were updated to at or below 225% of the federal income poverty levels. The table below has been updated to reflect this change.
Recipients are also categorically eligible for TEFAP products for household consumption if they participate in one or more of the following programs: Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF), Medicaid, or Supplemental Security Income (SSI).
| Household Size | Annual Income |
| 1 | $35,213 |
| 2 | $47,588 |
| 3 | $59,963 |
| 4 | $72,338 |
| 5 | $84,713 |
| 6 | $97,088 |
| 7 | $109,463 |
| 8 | $121,838 |
| For households with more than 8 persons, add for each additional person | $12,375 |
Note for Food Banks and Pantries
- The information on these new guidelines will need to be distributed to all TEFAP Recipient Agencies (RA). RAs may elect to include this information on their intake forms and may also update income posters at distribution sites.
- Food banks will need to inform all TEFAP Recipient Agencies (Food Pantries) of the attestation requirement [Part 251.5(b)]. TEFAP recipients must attest to eligibility at each distribution.
- Attestations should be completed and submitted to the food pantry in which recipients are receiving TEFAP foods.