Home Delivery
EFN’s Home Delivery program was implemented in 2020 as a way to reduce food access barriers for people experiencing food insecurity as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Today, families in the program face significant barriers to visiting a food pantry due to medical conditions, mobility challenges, and limited transportation. Every week, our team of volunteer drivers deliver boxes of food to these families across Pierce County. Deliveries consist of shelf-stable foods, produce, milk, eggs, and frozen protein. We receive food for the Home Delivery Program through purchase and donations.
The Home Delivery Program also serves seniors through the federal Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP), and individuals with chronic health conditions like hypertension, heart failure, and diabetes through a Medically Tailored Meals Program in partnership with Virginia Mason Franciscan Health. Through these strategies, we provide nutritionally appropriate food to low-income individuals to help with managing their health.
In 2025, EFN served an average of 700 households per month through our Home Delivery Program, providing them with 484,154 pounds of food annually.
Co-Op Food Purchasing Program
Started in 2010, the Co-op Food Purchasing Program (Co-op) is EFN’s bulk food buying program. Purchasing food at large-scale is foundational to EFN’s ability to provide our partners with a consistent supply of nutritious food. Co-op purchases include a variety of products like canned fruits and vegetables, lean proteins, rice, oats, pasta, and shelf-stable meals and proteins.
Through a partnership with Virginia Mason Franciscan Health, a dietitian reviews Co-op purchases to ensure that they are supportive of chronic health conditions like heart disease and diabetes. EFN prioritizes foods that are low in fat, sodium, and sugar in order to adhere to our nutritional standards.
Since 2021, Co-op purchases have also included fresh produce from Washington farmers, increasing the availability of fruits and vegetables within Pierce County’s emergency food system.
In 2025, EFN spent $2 million on purchased Co-op food to distribute 2.7 million pounds of food.
Repack Program
EFN saves thousands of dollars every year purchasing staples like oats, pasta, and rice in bulk. Volunteers repackage these foods into smaller, family-sized bags that are then distributed to our partner food pantries. This process not only saves EFN on product cost, but also the labor needed to make this food ready for families in need. Once repackaged, the food is ready to go out to the Pierce County food pantries, meal sites, and shelters that we serve.
Break Bags Program
In Pierce County, 53% of students receive free or reduced-cost lunch. For those students, school is sometimes the only place where they can receive a nutritious and filling meal. When school is not in session, these meals become unavailable and students are at risk of going hungry.
EFN established our Break Bag program in 2014 in partnership with St. Leo Food Connection and the Clover Park School District. During fall, winter, and spring breaks, EFN distributes 2,000 bags to students in Tacoma and Lakewood.
Break Bags contain a mixture of no- or low-preparation food, such as granola bars and peanut butter, alongside food that can be used to prepare meals for the whole family, such as canned soup, rice, potatoes, and macaroni and cheese. Many households receiving Breaks Bags have at least one working adult, meaning students may be home alone during extended breaks. Including ready-to-eat foods in Break Bags ensures students are fed and safe at home while their parents are at work.