Hunger
We believe everyone should have access to enough healthy, nutritious food to thrive in school, work, and at home.
About the Program
The Food Distribution project is the Council’s effort, in partnership with local food banks and soup kitchens, to combat hunger. USDA Surplus Commodities provide a variety of staples, including canned vegetables, dry goods, tuna, and peanut butter, which are distributed to participating soup kitchens and food banks throughout Lewis, Mason, Thurston, and Kitsap Counties.
Food banks distribute packaged food to eligible individuals and households while the soup kitchens prepare congregate meals for the hungry. In our service area, the participating providers have increased to 26 food banks and 6 soup kitchens to accommodate the growing emergency nutritional needs within our communities. Commodities are distributed to these local providers through a central warehouse located in Shelton, WA.
The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP)
TEFAP is a Federal program that helps supplement the diets of low-income Americans, including elderly people, by providing them with emergency food and nutrition assistance at no cost. It provides food and administrative funds to State to supplement the diets of these groups. This information was pulled directly from the USDA website, word for word.
TEFAP Food Pantries
The need for food assistance is steadily increasing. Monthly, the Community Action Council serves over 24,500 individuals in Lewis, Mason, Thurston, and Kitsap Counties.
| Food Pantries | Location | County | Phone Number |
| Bethel Baptist Church/Clothes & Loaves Food Bank | Centralia | Lewis | 360.748.0119 |
| Bremerton Foodline | Bremerton | Kitsap | 360.479.6188 |
| Bremerton Salvation Army | Bremerton | Kitsap | 360.479.2780 |
| Central Kitsap Food Bank | Silverdale | Kitsap | 360.692.9818 |
| City Gates Ministries | Olympia | Thurston | 360.456.8510 |
| Greater Chehalis Food Bank | Chehalis | Lewis | 360.748.1226 |
| Hood Canal Food Bank | Hoodsport/Shelton | Mason | 360.877.6623 |
| Lewis County Food Bank Coalition | Chehalis | Lewis | 360.330.1519 |
| Life Care Community | Port Orchard | Kitsap | 360.876.5094 |
| Matlock Food Bank | Matlock | Mason | 360.426.7632 |
| North Mason Food Bank | Belfair | Mason | 360.275.4615 |
| Pastors Pantry | Morton | Lewis | 360.496.5456 |
| Pe Ell Food Bank | Pe Ell | Lewis | 360.297.3434 |
| Pioneer Community | Shelton | Mason | 360.427.2920 |
| Rochester Organization of Families (ROOF) | Rochester | Thurston | 360.273.6375 |
| Sharenet Food Bank | Kingston | Kitsap | 360.754.6389 |
| SOMMA Food Bank | Ethel | Lewis | 360.978.4121 |
| South Kitsap Helpline | Port Orchard | Kitsap | 360.876.4089 |
| St. Vincent DePaul | Bremerton | Kitsap | 360.479.7017 |
| Tenino Community Services | Tenino | Thurston | 360.264.5505 |
| The Saints Pantry Food Bank | Shelton | Mason | 360.427.8847 |
| Thurston County Food Bank | Olympia | Thurston | 360.352.8597 |
| Toledo Food Bank | Toledo | Lewis | 360.978.6448 |
| White Pass Food Bank | Randle | Lewis | 360.497.7457 |
| Winlock Food Bank | Winlock | Lewis | 360.785.4325 |
| Yelm Community Services | Yelm | Thurston | 360.458.7000 |
TEFAP Feeding Site
More and more people are seeking food banks and other resources in order to survive, and Community Action Council is here to help. Last year, TEFAP Feeding Sites served more than 201,000 meals to hungry individuals and families.
| Meal Programs | Location | County | Phone Number |
| Bremerton Salvation Army | Bremerton | Kitsap | 360.479.2780 |
| HUB City Mission | Centralia | Lewis | 360.748.0119 |
| Olympia Salvation Army | Olympia | Thurston | 360.352.8596 x 108 |
| South Kitsap Family Kitchen | Port Orchard | Kitsap | 360.265.8562 |
| The Lord’s Table | Yelm | Thurston | 360.400.7877 |
How Can Clients Receive These Services?
This program is not available to individual clients through CAC. Clients need to contact the participating food bank and soup kitchens directly. Each participating food bank and soup kitchen has their own individual hours and days of operation. Refer above to locations and phone numbers of these organizations.
The Emergency Food Assistance Program
The mission of the Emergency Food Assistance Program is to alleviate hunger in the state of Washington by providing funds, technical assistance, and information to community programs that deliver emergency food and services to hungry people.
For both the food bank and voucher program, the state sets a minimum requirement that clients simply declare they do not have the resources to feed themselves and their families. Food banks and tribes may have additional requirements, such as the client must live in a certain geographic area or they only access services so many times within a year. However, providers may not discriminate against any class of people.
| EFAP Programs | Location | County | Phone Number |
| Community Food Pantry | Belfair | Mason | 360.552.2600 |
| Hood Canal Food Bank | Hoodsport/Shelton | Mason | 360.877.6623 |
| Matlock Food Bank | Matlock | Mason | 360.426.7632 |
| North Mason Food Bank | Belfair | Mason | 360.275.4615 |
| The Saints Pantry Food Bank | Shelton | Mason | 360.427.8847 |
