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FOOD DISTRIBUTION PROGRAMS
By law, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) acquires
agricultural commodities through price support programs, surplus removal,
and direct purchases from national markets. These commodities are
distributed through the USDA, Commodity Food Distribution Program to improve
the nutritional status of children and adults. The two fold purpose of
the program is:
-
to improve the nutritional
quality of the diets of those participating in the programs,
-
and to help strengthen the
American agricultural market.
In Colorado, the Food
Distribution Program is administered by the Colorado Department of Human
Services, Food Distribution Program (FDP). The Colorado FDP contracts with
commercial distributor/s for the receipt, storage and distribution of
commodity foods; and it contracts with recipient agencies for the proper
distribution, care and protection of the commodity foods.
The Colorado FDP administers
the following eight different programs:
The NATIONAL
SCHOOL LUNCH PROGRAM (SCH)
NATIONAL SCHOOL LUNCH PROGRAM (SCH)
--National School Lunch Program
program provides cash reimbursements and commodity foods to help support
nonprofit food services in elementary and secondary schools, and in
residential child care institutions that are eligible and enrolled
--School Meals
Requirements FAQs
--ELIGIBILITY
factors
--Public Schools
contact: Department of Education,
201 E Colfax Ave #209, Denver 303.866.6661
--Private Schools contact: USDA FNS
Mtn Plains Region, 1244 Speer Blvd, Denver
303.844.0355
Provides
cash reimbursements and commodity foods to help support non-profit food
services in elementary and secondary schools, and in residential child care
institutions. Every school day, more than 26 million children in
94,000 schools across the country eat a lunch provided through the National
School Lunch Program. More than half of these children receive the
meal free or at a reduced price. School meals comply with the Dietary
Guidelines for Americans, the federal policy on what constitutes a healthful
diet. (more information)
The CHILD
AND ADULT CARE FOOD PROGRAM (CACFP)
CHILD AND ADULT CARE FOOD PROGRAM (CACFP)
Resources to assist
afterschool,
homeless, and
preschool programs in using the child nutrition programs, including
cash reimbursements and commodity foods for meals served in child and adult
day care centers, and family and group day care homes for children.
ELIGIBILITY: enroll to receive commodities under this program by
contacting the following agency:
Department of Health
Child & Adult Care Food Program
FCHSD-CAC-A4
4300 Cherry Creek Dr South, Denver
Patricia M. Daniluk
303.692.2452
email
CHARITABLE
INSTITUTIONS (CI)
Commodities
(from USDA surplus stocks) provided as available to non-profit charitable institutions that serve
meals to needy persons regularly. These charitable groups include
churches operating community kitchens for the homeless and destitute,
orphanages, hospitals, group homes for the mentally retarded, correctional
institutions offering rehabilitative activities, homes for the elderly, etc.
ELIGIBILITY: enroll to receive commodities under this program by
contacting the following agency:
Department of Human Services
Food Distribution Programs
1575 Sherman St Third Floor, Denver
Tamarah (Tami) Shannon
303.866.5105 or 1.888.467.0418
email
NUTRITION
PROGRAM FOR THE ELDERLY (NPE)
Cash is provided to states for meals for senior citizens. The food
purchased with those funds is served in senior citizen centers or
delivered by meals-on-wheels programs and is supplemented by volunteers
and state and local funds.
You may be eligible to receive meals under this program if you are over
60. To find out more, please contact the following agency:
Department of Human Services
1575 Sherman St. 10th Floor, Denver
Heather Driscoll Kostelnik
303.866.3056 email
The SUMMER FOOD SERVICE
PROGRAM (SF)
SUMMER
FOOD SERVICE PROGRAM (SF)
--Summer
Food Service Program for Children FREE meals served during school vacation periods through the Summer Food
Service Program for low-income families with federal government
reimbursements to (eligible & enrolled) local sponsoring organizations for
meals served.
--Department of Education, 201 E
Colfax Ave #209, Denver 303.866.6661
--general information 303.866.6650 or
email
--see SEAMLESS SUMMER OPTIONS
More than 2 million children from low-income families receive meals during
school vacation periods through the Summer Food Service Program. All SF
meals are served free, and the federal government reimburses local
sponsoring organizations for meals served.
You must first enroll before you are eligible to receive commodities under
this program. To enroll, please contact the following agency:
Department of Education
201 E. Colfax Av. #209, Denver
Kim Butler 303.866.6661 |
EMERGENCY FOOD ASSISTANCE PROGRAM (TEFAP)
(USDA Food and Nutrition Service FNS
Website)
--The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP)
Provides food assistance
to needy people through the distribution of USDA commodities for state
distribution to needy people free.
ELIGIBILITY: recipients of food for home use must
have family income at or below the 185% Federal Poverty level (see chart
above)
The TEFAP program is county-based: To enroll, contact Department of Human Services,
Food Distribution Programs, 1575 Sherman St Third Floor,
Denver
303.866.5105 or 888.467.0418
email
Community Food and Nutrition Program (CFNP)
COMMODITY
SUPPLEMENTAL PROGRAM (CSFP)
- U.S. Dept.
of Agriculture supplemental food program for for low income pregnant,
breastfeeding, and postpartum nonbreastfeeding women (up to 1 year after
the birth of the child), their infants and children (up to age 6), and
senior citizens 60 years of age and older.
COMMODITY SUPPLEMENTAL FOOD PROGRAM, 80 S. Santa
Fe Dr., Denver 303.436.2800 (cooking classes, food, nutrition
information)
CSFP is
available to individuals residing in the following Colorado counties:
--Conejos
--Costilla
--Denver
--Pueblo
--Mesa
--Rio Grande
--Weld
Women residing in counties adjacent to those listed may be eligible
for CSFP if they are not eligible for (or already participating in) the
WIC Program.
ELIGIBILITY: Applicants must provide proof
of their income, categorical status, and residency.
-
low income pregnant,
breastfeeding, and postpartum nonbreastfeeding women (up to 1 year after
the birth of the child), and their infants and children (up to age 6)
--must be eligible to receive benefits under an existing Federal, State,
or local food, health or other program for low income persons and/or
--total household income is at or below 185% of the Federal Poverty Income
Guidelines (see chart above)
-
senior citizens
--60 years of age and older.
--total household income at or below 130% of the Federal Poverty Income
Guidelines
SERVICES: Participants receive a monthly food package that includes infant
formula, infant cereal, canned fruits & vegetables, canned meats, pasta or
rice, dry beans or peanut butter, fruit juices, dry cereals, cheese,
powdered and canned milk.
WIC ENROLLMENT
State WIC Program
303.692.2400.
Colorado CSFP
Office
Department of Human Services, Food
Distribution Programs, 1575 Sherman St Third Floor, Denver
303.866.2652 or 888.467.0418
email
Conejos County
Conejos County Nursing Service
19023 State Hwy 285 S, La Jara
719.274.4307
Costilla County
Costilla County Nursing Service
112 Main St, San Luis
719.672.3332
email
Denver County
Food Bank of the Rockies, 10975 E 47th Av,
Denver 303.375.8081
Pueblo County
Pueblo County CSFP, c/o Dept of Housing
& Human Services, 2631 E 4th St, Pueblo
719.583.6318 email
Mesa County
2467 US Hwy 6 & 50, Grand Junction
970.241.3651
email
Rio Grande County
Tri-County Senior Citizens & Housing,
Changing Needs Food Program, 311 Washington St, Monte Vista
719.852.5778
email
Weld County
Weld Food Bank, 104 11th Av, Greeley 970.356.2199
email
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ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS
-gross houshold income before deductions-
(July 1 2005 - June 30, 2006)
(for free & reduced meals & free milk for schools,
institutions and facilities participating in the National School Lunch
program, School Breakfast Program, Child and Adult Care Food Program, and
Summer Food Service Program)
|
Household Size |
Poverty Level |
Reduced Price Meals
(185%) |
Free Meals
(130%) |
|
1 |
$9,570 |
$17,705 |
$12,441 |
|
2 |
$12,830 |
$23,736 |
$16,679 |
|
3 |
$16,090 |
$29,767 |
$20,917 |
|
4 |
$19,350 |
$35,798 |
$25,155 |
|
5 |
$22,610 |
$41,829 |
29393 |
|
6 |
$25,870 |
$47,860 |
$33,631 |
|
7 |
$29,130 |
$53,891 |
$37,869 |
|
8 |
$32,390 |
$59,922 |
42,107 |
|
each additional |
+$3,260 |
+$6,031 |
+$4,238 |
PUBLICATIONS
"An Advocate’s Guide to the Disaster Food Stamp
Program"
Download the report
July 2005 PDF)
--see Press Release
"Hunger Doesn't Take A Vacation: A Status Report on the
Summer Food Service Program for Children"
(2005, Fifteenth Edition PDF)
"State of the States: A Profile of Food and Nutrition
Programs Across the Nation"
(2005, Ninth Edition PDF)
"FRAC Afterschool Guide: Nourish Their Bodies, Feed Their
Minds"
"Good Choices in Hard Times: Fifteen Ideas for States to
Reduce Hunger and Stimulate the Economy"
(February 2002)
"State Government Responses to the Food Assistance Gap"
(2000, Third Annual Report by FRAC and America's Second Harvest - PDF)
July 18, 2005 - FRAC News Digest, Issue #28
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