Agency FAQs
A: The Greater Boston Food Bank partners with agencies that are classified as either Emergency Food Providers (EFP’s) or Non-Emergency Food providers. Guidelines for these classifications are below.
A: Emergency Food Providers (EFPs) are public charitable organizations with IRS tax exempt status 501(c)(3) and have established ongoing food assistance programs that distribute at least twice monthly either bags/boxes of groceries and/or prepared meals onsite to their clients. EFPs also provide food assistance on an emergency basis to anyone in need. There are three classifications of Emergency Food Providers (EFPs).
A: Provide groceries, at twice least monthly, to those in need of one-time emergency or occasional food assistance for home preparation and consumption. Do not charge a fee or require service from participants in exchange for food. Conduct public outreach such as being registered with a food resource referral service (Project Bread Food Source Hot Line) or listed in a social service directory.
A: Prepare and serve on-site meals regularly to those in need. Do not charge a fee or require service from participants in exchange for food. Conduct public outreach such as being registered with a food resource referral service (Project Bread Food Source Hot Line) or listed in a social service directory.
A: Regularly provide shelter where those who are homeless are temporarily housed. Length of residency is no more than six months and clients would otherwise be homeless. Does not charge a fee to participants in exchange for food. Conduct public outreach such as being registered with a food resource referral service (Project Bread Food Source Hot Line) or listed in a social service directory.
A: Non-Emergency Food Providers are programs that serve snacks and beverages to low income clients participating in their programming. There are four classifications of Non-Emergency Food Providers (Non-EFPs):
- Non-Emergency After School Youth Program
- Non-Emergency Day Care Program
- Non-Emergency Adult Day Care Program
- Non-Emergency Long-Term Residential Program
A: Eligible and qualifying agencies (EFPs) will be able to receive MEFAP and/or USDA foods at no cost. All agencies are eligible to receive donated food at a shared maintenance fee of $0.19 per pound. This is an assessed handling cost that helps pay for transportation and storage. For some products the SMF may be reduced or eliminated. In addition we offer co-op items that are purchased for the agencies by The Food Bank and sold to agencies. Co-op food purchases are offered to agencies at The Greater Boston Food Bank’s cost. Co-op non-food purchases are offered at The Greater Boston Food Bank’s cost plus a 6% handling fee.
A: The term “USDA” refers to the type of foods available through The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP). TEFAP is a federal food distribution program sponsored by The United States Department of Agriculture. USDA-donated foods are distributed at no cost to approved distribution sites via various food banks. In 2000, The Greater Boston Food Bank, Inc. contracted with the Massachusetts Department of Education (DOE) to assume the monitoring and application process on USDA commodities. Eastern Massachusetts agencies that want to distribute USDA food through TEFAP must be members of The Greater Boston Food Bank. The Greater Boston Food Bank is a distributing authority for TEFAP under the jurisdiction of the Massachusetts DOE. The Greater Boston Food Bank qualifies member agencies as USDA-eligible and assigns a USDA contract number to that agency. This number facilitates identification as a USDA-eligible agency and enables the agency to receive USDA product. A member agency is considered USDA-eligible if it falls under the above definition of an EFP. For more information, please contact Agency Relations at 617-598-5000.
A: The term “MEFAP” refers to the type of foods available through the Massachusetts Emergency Food Assistance Program (MEFAP). MEFAP is a state-funded program administered by The Greater Boston Food Bank. The Greater Boston Food Bank uses the funds to purchase foods that are distributed on an “agency choice” basis to all eligible emergency food providers and to sponsor nutrition education initiatives. The MEFAP program is a supplementary food assistance program in nature and is not intended to cover all the needs of an agency. The goal of MEFAP is to provide food assistance and nutrition education to citizens in need in the Commonwealth. This provides a consistent supply of quality, nutrient-dense foods and nutrition education to the statewide network of emergency food providers: pantries, soup kitchens, transitional houses and shelters.