TEFAP Rules for Food Pantries in Oregon

In Oregon, TEFAP (The Emergency Food Assistance Program) is run by Oregon Dept of Human Services via Oregon Food Bank. 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 Oregon's own documents disagree, that is said plainly rather than smoothed over.

Oregon's TEFAP agency and official documents

• Oregon Dept of Human Services via Oregon Food Bank — USDA's contact listing for the State agency (checked 2026-10-10). No TEFAP page was found on the Oregon Department of Human Services website; ODHS runs TEFAP through a contract with Oregon Food Bank.

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 300% of the federal poverty guidelines (official table: Form 4 (2024 table); current table not found). Households in these programs qualify without an income test:

• SNAP
• WIC
• free/reduced school lunch
• TANF
• SSDI
• SSI
• LIHEAP
• General Assistance
• OSIP

Computed as 300% 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: USDA Form 4 General Food Box Sign-In Sheet. How often: at every visit. Clients self-declare; proof of income is not required.

What to record at each visit

• date
• name
• zip_or_city
• household_size

Client signature at every pickup: Not published by the State (or not found in its public documents). Electronic signatures: Yes. Electronic intake: Oregon Food Bank must approve intake software; clients may opt out to paper; electronic-intake poster required.

Proxies

TEFAP Authorized Representative Form (Appendix D). The proxy does not have to show ID.

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 ODHS. Anyone may complain, in writing or verbally, without giving a name. Training: annual with log.

Posted or handed out:

• And Justice for All with hotline tear-offs
• WNBR at faith-based sites

Reporting

monthly to regional food bank on OFB 1A/1B Monthly Food Resource and Distribution Report.

• households
• individuals
• volunteers and hours
• 3-5 day supply given
• turn-aways and why
• donation pounds by donor

Storage temperatures

Refrigerated 33–41°F, frozen -10–0°F, dry 50–70°F. Temperature log: fridges/freezers daily, dry weekly.

Where the sources disagree

• Income: manual 300% vs OAR 461-191-0020 185%.
• Per-visit signature unclear (Form 4 has none; OAR says 'by signing a statement').

Ask your food bank which one they monitor against.

Sources

• www.foodforlanecounty.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/USDA-TEFAP-Manual-2025.pdf
• oregon.public.law/rules/oar_461-191-0020

TEFAP in nearby States

TEFAP in California · TEFAP in Idaho · TEFAP in Nevada · TEFAP in Washington · 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.