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              TEFAP: The Emergency Food Assistance Program

TEFAP is a United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) program authorized in 1981. Its purpose is to help supplement the diets of low-income and elderly people by providing them with emergency food and nutrition at no cost. The South Carolina Department of Agriculture (SCDA) is the state’s distributing agency that is responsible for providing USDA TEFAP commodities to needy persons. SCDA has an agreement with Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina for distribution of commodities to recipients. Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina has an agreement with United Christian Ministries, as well as many other pantries or agencies with pantries, to distribute the TEFAP commodity foods to persons in need.

 

Persons are eligible to receive TEFAP commodity foods if they meet federal poverty guidelines or if they currently receive SNAP benefits, Family Independence (FI) benefits, or Supplemental Security Income (SSI).

 

In accordance with guidelines, the following USDA Nondiscrimination Statement is included here:

 

In accordance with Federal law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, disability, and reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) 

Program information may be made available in languages other than English. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication for program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, and American Sign Language) should contact the responsible State or local Agency that administers the program or USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TTY) or contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339. 

To file a program discrimination complaint, a complainant should complete a Form AD-3027, USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, which can be obtained online, at www.usda.gov/sites/default/files/documents/usda-program-discrimination-complaint-form.pdf, from any USDA office, by calling (866) 632-9992, or by writing a letter addressed to USDA. The letter must contain the complainant’s name, address, telephone number, and a written description of the alleged discriminatory action in sufficient detail to inform the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights (ASCR) about the nature and date of an alleged civil rights violation. The completed AD-3027 form or letter must be submitted to USDA by: 

mail: 

U.S. Department of Agriculture 

Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights 1400 Independence Avenue, SW 

Washington, D.C. 20250-9410; or 

fax: (833) 256-1665 or (202) 690-7442; 

email: program.intake@usda.gov

 

This institution is an equal opportunity provider. 

(Updated August 2020)

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