TEFAP State Plan

Date Submitted: October 6, 2023
State Agency: Washington Department of Agriculture
State Agency Point of Contact (POC): Kim Eads, Food Assistance Program Manager
POC Email: KEads@agr.wa.gov
POC Phone Number: 360-250-4848
 

1. Provide a high-level summary (1-2 paragraphs) of the anticipated uses of the Farm to Food Bank Project funds. Please note that projects must meet the statutory definition of a Farm to Food Bank project (i.e., they must involve the harvesting, processing, packaging, or transportation of unharvested, unprocessed, or unpackaged commodities donated by agricultural producers, processors, or distributors, for use by emergency feeding organizations (EFOs)).
   1. WSDA Food Assistance (FA) FY2024 Farm to Food Bank projects will reduce food waste at the farm level by increasing the amount of produce gleaned and supporting the packing and transportation of gleaned produce. Since 2014, Washington’s Farm to Food Pantry initiative (F2FP) has shown that investment in local agriculture through direct-farm purchasing results in substantial additional donations from farmers. The existing network of relationships between local farmers and EFOs developed through F2FP will be enhanced with further investment for gleaning with Farm to Food Bank funds.
   2. WSDA FA will provide a maximum of $15,000 to our F2FP Lead Agency, Harvest Against Hunger (HAH), to purchase and distribute harvesting and packaging materials to gleaning organizations across the state that serve TEFAP food pantries and meal programs (177 TEFAP sites in 2022). WSDA FA will also provide funding to Emergency Feeding Organizations (EFOs) either through a competitive RFA process or by extending current Farm to Food Bank projects that were competitively awarded in March of 2023. Once awarded, WSDA FA will update the state plan with USDA to include these projects. WSDA FA will use the small remaining portion of our Farm to Food Bank funding for staffing and operational costs.
2. What types of agricultural commodities do you expect will be donated for this project(s) and who will donate them?
   1. Based on 2022 F2FP data (i.e., Harvest Against Hunger's project), the top donated crops were Bok choy, head lettuce, spinach, radishes, and Napa cabbage. These were mostly donated by farmers. Awardees from the FY2022 Farm to Food Bank competitive grants distributed fresh tree fruits and specialty crops. They also processed vegetables and berries donated by growers. One awardee also received donations of shellfish and salmon from a distributor. WSDA FA expects specialty crops to remain the most donated type of commodity for Farm to Food Bank in 2023.
3. How will the project(s) reduce food waste at the agricultural production, processing, or distribution level through the donation of food?
   1. Since 2014, Washington’s Farm to Food Pantry initiative (F2FP) has shown that investment in local agriculture through direct-farm purchasing results in substantial additional donations from farmers.
   2. WSDA FA FTFB projects will be limited to the following activities: 
      1. Harvest Support: gleaning supplies (crates, orchard harvest bags, harvest knives, orchard ladders, etc.); produce washing stations; gleaning coordinator (or similar position) salaries; producer costs of picking and packing agricultural products. 
      2. Processing: Commercial kitchen rental fees; outsourced processing costs; processing supplies (containers, dehydrators, blenders, vacuum sealer, etc.); individual quick frozen (IQF) expenses; processing facility licensing costs. 
      3. Distribution: Produce bags and fruit boxes; plastic clamshells; pint (and other sized) containers; twist ties/rubber bands; transportation costs and equipment (like refrigerated compartments).
4. How will the project(s) provide food to individuals in need?
   1. Harvest Against Hunger (HAH) takes gleaning supply orders from EFOs who currently participate in F2FP. In 2022, HAH made 25 F2FP Subawards to EFOs serving 210 distribution sites (food pantries and meal sites, most of which are also TEFAP sites) with fresh produce. The EFOs who receive gleaning supplies work directly with farmers and/or a gleaning organization in their community to harvest, pack, and transport donated produce to the food bank for client distribution. EFOs participating in Farm to Food Bank will submit to WSDA FA a distribution plan including a list of sites that will receive and distribute FTFB food.
5. How will the project(s) build relationships between agricultural producers, processors, and distributors and EFOs through the donation of food?
   1. Washington has a robust network of relationships that already exists between farmers and EFOs largely due to the Farm to Food Pantry initiative (F2FP). In 2022, 162 farmers sold food to EFOs participating in F2FP and 40,000 pounds of produce was rescued and distributed through the F2FP network.  Through WSDA FA's FY2022 Farm to Food Bank project, 84 relationships between EFOs and agricultural producers, processors, and distributors were built or expanded. WSDA FA plans to leverage this existing network and its impact by continuing to fund the Farm to Food Bank project with Harvest Against Hunger and other EFOs selected either through a competitive RFA process or by extending current Farm to Food Bank projects that were competitively awarded in March of 2023.
6. List all EFOs that will partner with the State agency to carry out the project(s) and describe the role of the EFO(s) in the project. You must list at least one EFO. You do not need to list all EFOs that will distribute Farm to Food Bank foods; only those that will carry out the project(s) in partnership with the State agency.
   1. Harvest Against Hunger is a nonprofit corporation based in Seattle, WA. They will:
      1. Procure and distribute gleaning supplies to F2FP partners.
      2. Make sure produce gleaned with supplies from Farm to Food Bank is delivered and distributed at TEFAP meal sites and food pantries.
      3. Provide a $1-to-$1 match for all Farm to Food Bank awarded funds (cannot be from federal sources)
      4. Meet all reporting requirements including invoicing and collecting project metrics (such as pounds gleaned, and pounds processed).
   2. The other partners for Farm to Food Bank will be selected either through a competitive RFA process or by extending current Farm to Food Bank projects that were competitively awarded in March of 2023. Their responsibilities include:
      1. Coordinate with project partners to harvest, pack, process, and/or distribute donated produce from agricultural producers.
      2. Distribute donated produce or processed versions at TEFAP meal sites and food pantries.
      3. Provide a $1-to-$1 match for all Farm to Food Bank awarded funds (cannot be from federal sources).
      4. Meet all reporting requirements and deadlines including invoicing and collecting project metrics.
7. List any other State agency(ies) from other States that the State agency will partner with and describe the role of the other State agency(ies) in the project.
   1. N/A
8. State the percentage of Farm to Food Bank Project funds that will be kept at the State level.
   1. WSDA FA will retain no more than 20 percent of the funding for Food Assistance staff and operations supporting this effort and align it with similar programming. This includes WSDA FA's federal indirect rate of 21 percent (subject to change) which is applied only to salaries and benefits (estimated at 0.12 FTE) charged to Farm to Food Bank.
9. As per 7 CFR 251.10(j)(4), all Federal funds utilized for Farm to Food Bank Projects must be matched dollar-for-dollar by non-federal funds through a cash or in-kind contribution from either the State or partner EFOs. Please describe how the match requirement will be met for this project. If the match will be met in- kind, please provide a description of in-kind resources that will be used to meet the match.
   1. WSDA FA will match FTFB funds not passed through, with existing state funds for specific projects that are part of WSDA FA's Resiliency Grants initiative. WSDA FA will require participating EFOs to provide a $1-to-$1 match. Anticipated matching funds and their sources (cash vs. in-kind) will be included as part of the award process, and reporting requirements will ask for actual/realized matching funds. EFO matching funds will be from in-kind volunteer labor, rental space, and/or cash match.
10. Will the State agency accept its full initial allocation of FY 2024 Farm to Food Bank Funding, if available?
    1. Yes, plus additional funding if available.
11. Is the State agency interested in receiving additional funding beyond its initial allocation of FY 2024 Farm to Food Bank Project, if available?
    1. Yes.

If yes/unsure, what is the maximum amount of additional funds the State agency is willing and able to accept while still meeting the match requirement? If unsure, please insert an estimated amount in the box below, and we will contact you to verify final funding totals prior to finalizing them.

Maximum amount of additional funding (in addition to what is estimated to be allocated in Appendix B):

1. WSDA FA can accept and match up to $300,000 in additional Farm to Food Bank funds, making a maximum possible award of $377,583.

 
OMB Disclosure Statement: Section 4018(b) of the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (P.L. 115-334) amended Section 203D of the Emergency Food Assistance Act of 1983 to provide funding for TEFAP State agencies to pay for projects to harvest, process, package, or transport commodities donated by agricultural producers, processors, or distributors for use by emergency feeding organizations. These projects are known as Farm to Food Bank Projects. To be eligible for funds to carry out a Farm to Food Bank Project in FY 2024, TEFAP State agencies must submit an amendment to their State Plan to their FNS Regional Office which requires this information collection. This is a mandatory collection and FNS will use the information to allocate funding for such projects. The collection does not request personally identifiable information under the Privacy Act of 1974. According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, an agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, a collection of information unless it displays a valid OMB control number. The valid OMB control number for this information collection is 0584-0293. The time required to complete this information collection is estimated to average 4 hours per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, gathering and providing the data needed, and completing, reviewing and submitting the collection of information. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden to: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service, Office of Policy Support, 1320 Braddock Place, 5th Floor, Alexandria, VA 22314. ATTN: PRA (0584-0293). Do not return the completed form to this address.
 
USDA is an Equal Opportunity Provider, Employer and Lender.

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Section 5
Revision 2024-12