TEFAP Rules for Food Pantries in Massachusetts

In Massachusetts, TEFAP (The Emergency Food Assistance Program) is run by Dept of Elementary & Secondary Education, Office for Food and Nutrition Programs. 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 Massachusetts's own documents disagree, that is said plainly rather than smoothed over.

Massachusetts's TEFAP agency and official documents

• Dept of Elementary & Secondary Education, Office for Food and Nutrition Programs — the State agency's food distribution page, which covers TEFAP (checked 2026-10-10).

Your food bank's agreement and current forms are the final word on the figures and forms to use.

Who qualifies: the income limit

Household income at or below 250% of the federal poverty guidelines. Households in these programs qualify without an income test:

• free/reduced lunch
• SNAP
• TANF
• WIC
• welfare
• Medicaid
• SSI
• Head Start
• fuel assistance
• veterans aid

Computed as 250% of the 2026 HHS poverty guidelines. Your State's printed table is the official one and may round differently or take effect on a different date.

The eligibility declaration

Form: site-designed self-declaration. How often: once a year. Clients self-declare; proof of income is not required.

What to record at each visit

• names recorded each distribution day

Client signature at every pickup: No. Electronic signatures: Yes. Electronic intake: digital collection needs state approval.

Proxies

Not published by the State (or not found in its public documents).

What you must not collect

• ID cannot be required to receive TEFAP food.

How long to keep records

Not published by the State (or not found in its public documents). The federal minimum is 3 years from the end of the federal fiscal year (7 CFR 251.10(a)(5)).

Civil rights

Complaints: no local forwarding deadline is published — forward promptly. 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

monthly to DESE (ERAs).

• receipt
• distribution
• disposal
• inventory

Storage temperatures

Not published by the State (or not found in its public documents).

Also

• Photo ID / SSN strictly prohibited; address collection required but may be given verbally.

Sources

• doe.mass.edu/cnp/tefap-state-plan.docx

TEFAP in nearby States

TEFAP in Connecticut · TEFAP in New Hampshire · TEFAP in New York · TEFAP in Rhode Island · all States

This page describes published State and food bank documents and is not legal advice. Your State agency and your food bank agreement are the final word. See also the federal TEFAP record rule and the free TEFAP readiness checklist.