The mission of Emergency Food Network (EFN) is “to provide Pierce County with a consistent, diverse, and nutritious food supply so that no person goes hungry.”
In 2020, more than 1.9 million visits weremade to food pantries in Pierce County. Emergency Food Network aids these visits by providing more than 18.5 million pounds of food to the 70+ food pantries, meal sites, and shelters it serves. Each time a community member walks into a food program with nothing, Emergency Food Network ensures they walk out with enough food for nine meals.
For every $1 donated, EFN provides 5 meals for our neighbors in need.
Emergency Food Network operates two distinct programs: the Distribution Center and Mother Earth Farm. The 20,000 square foot Distribution Center is located in Lakewood and is the agency’s storage, distribution, and administrative center. The Repack Project is hosted in this Distribution Center. EFN's Mother Earth Farm is an 8-acre organic farm located in Puyallup that yields roughly 100,000 pounds of fresh produce annually.
With its combination of a working farm, Repack Project, and distribution warehouse, Emergency Food Network is unique. It is one of the only non-profit emergency food distribution centers in the country capable of growing, purchasing, storing and distributing food—taking food straight from the land to the tables of those in need.