TEFAP Rules for Food Pantries in Kansas
In Kansas, TEFAP (The Emergency Food Assistance Program) is run by Dept for Children & Families. This page sets out what a food pantry or other distribution site has to do: who qualifies, what each household declares, what you record at each visit, how long you keep it, how complaints are handled and what you report. Where Kansas's own documents disagree, that is said plainly rather than smoothed over.
Kansas's TEFAP agency and official documents
- Dept for Children & Families — the State agency's own TEFAP page (checked 2026-10-10).
- content.dcf.ks.gov/EES/KEESM/TEFAP/RoboCurrent/TEFAP2400.html (State or food bank document used for the rules below)
Who qualifies: the income limit
Household income at or below 185% of the federal poverty guidelines (official table: Exhibit E (effective 1 Mar 2026)). Households in these programs qualify without an income test:
- SNAP
- TANF
- LIEAP
- WIC
- CSFP
| Household size | Per year | Per month |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $29,526 | $2,461 |
| 2 | $40,034 | $3,336 |
| 3 | $50,542 | $4,212 |
| 4 | $61,050 | $5,088 |
| 5 | $71,558 | $5,963 |
| 6 | $82,066 | $6,839 |
| 7 | $92,574 | $7,715 |
| 8 | $103,082 | $8,590 |
| Each additional person | +$10,508 |
The eligibility declaration
Form: Exhibit E Declaratory Statement / Inventory Control for USDA Foods. How often: at every visit. Clients self-declare; proof of income is not required.
What to record at each visit
- distribution month
- printed name
- county
- household_size
- basis
- date
Client signature at every pickup: Not published by the State (or not found in its public documents). Electronic signatures: Yes. Electronic intake: Regional Director approval.
Proxies
authorized representative (Regional Directors may restrict).
What you must not collect
- ID cannot be required to receive TEFAP food.
How long to keep records
3 years.
Civil rights
Complaints: no local forwarding deadline is published — forward promptly to DCF civil rights section (process within 90 days). Anyone may complain, in writing or verbally, without giving a name. Training: Not published by the State (or not found in its public documents).
Reporting
Not published by the State (or not found in its public documents).
Storage temperatures
Not published by the State (or not found in its public documents).
Also
- Client certifies not receiving USDA food from more than one organization a month.
Where the sources disagree
- KCDM 2401 (2010) requires a client signature each time; 2026 Exhibit E has only a staff signature line.
Ask your food bank which one they monitor against.
Sources
- content.dcf.ks.gov/EES/KEESM/TEFAP/Exhibit_E.pdf
- content.dcf.ks.gov/EES/KEESM/TEFAP/RoboCurrent/TEFAP7500.html
TEFAP in nearby States
TEFAP in Colorado · TEFAP in Missouri · TEFAP in Nebraska · TEFAP in Oklahoma · all States