EMERGENCY FOOD ASSISTANCE PROGRAM

The Emergency Food Assistance Program (EFAP) is the largest supplemental food program that the Food Bank operates. United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) food commodities are distributed at 32 sites via tailgate distribution throughout Monterey County on a monthly basis, including our Salinas warehouse facility Monday through Friday from 1-3 PM. On average, the Food Bank for Monterey County currently serves over 3,000 households per month through this program.

A typical USDA bag may contain peanut butter, canned tuna or canned meat, canned vegetables and fruits, cereal, dry milk, a pound of pasta, and a bag of rice. These commodities are supplemented with bread and produce.

Food bags are packed at our warehouse entirely by volunteers. Volunteers also help at the distribution sites where they may serve as site captains or site assistants. Clearly, volunteers from the community are the lifeblood of EFAP.