Are food distribution agencies reimbursed for their expenses for operating the EFAP?
CDSS-authorized food distributing agencies, which provide county-wide EFAP services to recipients and recipient agencies, receive reimbursement to help offset some of the costs of operating the program. This reimbursement is paid from EFAP Federal funds totaling about $5.8 million annually. This amount is less than authorized EFAP agencies spend to operate the program. As a result, subdistribution agencies, such as food closets, pantries and CFA’s receive no reimbursement. • Who decides which agencies will receive this food? On a county-by-county basis, the CDSS distributes food among the agencies (designated by the County Boards of Supervisors) that are authorized to distribute EFAP food. This distribution is done on the basis of a “fair share” formula that takes into account factors such as the number of people being served in each county as well as the number living in poverty and unemployed. This method ensures that, regardless of where needy people reside, they will have equal acc
