The Emergency Feeding Program of Seattle & King County, celebrating 30 years!

About Us I Newsletter l Volunteer Opportunities I Food of the Month l Shop to Stop Hunger

On now: Prevent Summer Hunger Drive!

When the final bell tolls out the end of another school year, many kids may be facing more than summer vacation with the loss of a subsidized school lunch. Help us insure these kids have not only a fun-filled summer, but one free of hunger!

Other ways YOU can help right now:

NEW! Donate to our interactive Virtual Food Drive!

Forms for Our Community Partners:

EFP food pack delivery request	Food card	Tarjeta para obtener comida	Policies and procedures for distribution and referral sites
Directory of Food Distribution Sites	Client grievance policy	Teen/Snack Pack tally sheet	Food Pack Contents

You'll need Adobe Acrobat Reader to view these files. If you don't have it, click here to get it free:

Remember, we no longer require a monthly report form, but we do need your completed food cards in our office no later than the 5th of each month.

Need a food delivery? Place an order with us now and we'll get it out to you as soon as possible. You can download our order form here then fill it out and fax it back to us -- it's that simple! Note that we do not operate with a "standing order" system. In other words, you've got to let us know what you need and when, and we'll do our best to get it to you on or before the date requested. All we ask is at least one week's notice.

About Us

Our mission is to provide an emergency response to the nutritional needs of people in crisis hunger situations throughout Seattle and King County. We are dedicated to alleviating hunger while providing individuals with resource counseling to help move them towards independence. Our goal is to provide a proactive, non-traditional approach to food assistance that will eventually lead to self-reliance for individuals in need of services. Most years, about half of all meals go to children.

In an average year, the Emergency Feeding Program of Seattle & King County provides more than 300,000 healthy and nutritionally balanced meals to about 50,000 individuals and families throughout King County.

Not Your Ordinary Food Distributor...

The Emergency Feeding Program understands that people in emergency hunger situations are often wiped out of any food at all, and so need a supply of complete meals, often immediately. Since hunger is most often not the root problem, only a symptom, assistance must be given to help move the individual(s) toward longer range resources which may help foster independence.

Existing projects in the Puget Sound area include local food banks and hot meal programs. The Emergency Feeding Program differs from traditional food banks and/or hot meal programs in three distinct respects:

1. Our bags are packed to make up six complete nutritionally balanced meals per person, regardless of family size. The assumption is that people in crisis hunger situations are completely without food and need a complete supply, not supplemental food.

A nutritionist creates these meals to assure that each bag contains the Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA).

2. We offer 14 different food packs for those with special dietary needs such as no-cook, no-refrigeration foods for the homeless, a snack pack for homeless teens, a culturally sensitive Asian or Latino box, low sodium, no-sugar, high-protein liquid, vegan, and two infant bags.

Food is readily available six days a week through one of our numerous Seattle / King County distribution centers. For information about our Eastside program, please drop us an email.

3. We recognize that those who come to our program generally have other needs. That's why we work in collaboration with over 235 social service agencies that cover the whole spectrum of human services. These referral agencies provide information on other community resources to help guide people toward a longer range of assistance, and hopefully help move them quickly towards independence.

Volunteers are Vital

Volunteers play a vital role for the Emergency Feeding Program. Volunteers staff distribution sites, pack food bags and help raise food and money through local business and church food drives. Volunteer participation has increased steadily in the past few years. Volunteers log an average of over 21,500 hours of service most years. There are over 1,500 active volunteers for the Emergency Feeding Program.

If you are interested in general volunteering for EFP, please contact us!

Participate in EFP's Food of the Month Program!

Every month, the Emergency Feeding Program asks for your donations of specific foods to help fill the various types of food packs we provide. To be added to our mailing list, please send relevant information to Brian Anderson. Now, you can download fliers right here for each month, and post them up in your church, synagogue, school, social club, business, retirement home, or any place where food can be collected. Just give us a call at 206.329.0300, and we'll pick it up for you at the end of the month!

April's Food of the Month theme is "Baby Shower!" Your generous donations of baby beef, chicken, or other baby protein items will help some very small bellies stay full this spring.

January: SOUPer Bowl! February: Heart to Heart for the Homeless! March: Luck O' the Irish! April: Baby Shower! May: Fiesta! June: School's Out! July: Christmas in July! August: Pining for Pineapple! September: Asian Excursion! October: Trick-or-Tuna! November: Share the Bounty! December: Holiday Treats!

Comments, questions, or suggestions? Please email Sam Osborne.