Moskowitz Foundation’s Hawaiian Gardens Food Bank Stepping Up To Help Families

BY BRIAN HEWS

The Hawaiian Gardens Food Bank, sponsored by The Irving I. Moskowitz Foundation, owners of the Bingo Club in Hawaiian Gardens, is distributing free food to low income families in need in Hawaiian Gardens and surrounding cities.

The food bank is located at 22121 Norwalk Blvd in Hawaiian Gardens, their phone is (562) 860-9097.

The food bank’s expanded hours during the COVID-19 pandemic are Tuesdays from 10 a.m.-3 p.m., Wednesdays from 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Thursdays from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. and Fridays 10 a.m.-3 p.m.

Families receive a bag of USDA TEFAP such as rice, beans, pasta, canned vegetables, canned fruit, and other items.

Families are limited to two visits per month, or every other week. The distribution is held outside the food bank with distributors practicing proper hygiene and social distancing.

The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) is a federal program that helps supplement the diets of low-income Americans by providing them with emergency food assistance at no cost. The USDA provides 100% American-grown USDA Foods and administrative funds to states to operate TEFAP.

The amount of food each state receives out of the total amount of food provided is based on the number of unemployed persons and the number of people with incomes below the poverty level in the state. States provide the food to local agencies that they have selected, usually food banks, which in turn distribute the food to local organizations, such as soup kitchens and food pantries that directly serve the public.
States also provide the food to other types of local organizations, such as community action agencies, which distribute the foods directly to low-income households. These local organizations distribute USDA Foods to eligible recipients for household consumption or use them to prepare and serve meals in a congregate setting. Under TEFAP, states also receive administrative funds to support the storage and distribution of USDA Foods.