What Emergency Food Network does

Emergency Food Network (legal name: Emergency Food Network of Tacoma and Pierce County) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1982 and headquartered at 3318 92nd St S in Lakewood, Washington, with a secondary site at Mother Earth Farm in Puyallup. It operates as the central food distribution hub for Pierce County, aggregating food from individual donors, food manufacturers, retailers, farmers, and USDA federal commodity programs at its Lakewood warehouse, where staff and volunteers inspect, sort, package, and store the food before distributing it to 75+ partner food pantries, meal sites, and shelters. In 2025, the network delivered 18.2 million pounds of food across approximately 3.5 million visits, with a stated 2025 target of 20 million pounds.

The organization's core product surface includes the Find Food Map (an interactive locator for nearby food resources), the Repack Project (volunteer-driven bulk food repackaging into family-sized portions), a Home Delivery Program for mobility-limited residents, the Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP) for seniors aged 60+, Summer Meal Programs for youth, and Staple Food Bags distributed through partner pantries. Operational technology is light: EFN runs on standard nonprofit SaaS platforms including Givecloud for donation processing, Better Impact for volunteer scheduling, Good Roots for food locker logistics, and Recite Me for accessibility.

EFN's business model is donation-funded rather than revenue-generating. Food is provided at no cost to community members in need, with no documentation or ID required. Funding is sourced from individual donations (the majority, including the recurring Supper Club monthly giving program), corporate partnerships (Partners in Plenty program with 16+ named partners), workplace giving through United Way designations, planned giving (bequests, stock, IRA), and federal/state programs (18% of funding in 2024, against the backdrop of Washington's $93.25 million 2025-2027 statewide food bank allocation). Operations are supported by 11-50 paid staff and 2,000+ volunteers, with leadership under CEO Michelle Douglas. The organization holds a Charity Navigator 4-Star Rating and Candid Platinum Transparency Certification.

Name

Emergency Food Network

Legal name

Emergency Food Network of Tacoma and Pierce County

Website

https://efoodnet.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1982

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Emergency Food Network is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit food bank that operates as Pierce County's central distribution hub, aggregating donated and federal food and delivering it through 75+ partner pantries and direct programs to food-insecure residents, processing over 1 million pounds per month.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Hunger Relief and Food Distribution Services

NAICS

Community Food Services (62421), Community Food and Housing, and Emergency and Other Relief Services (6242), Emergency and Other Relief Services (62423)

SIC

Wholesale-Groceries, General Line (5141)

akta.pro primary industry

Food Assistance & Food Banks (BPAGAEAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Food Assistance & Nutrition Relief (Emergency Feeding) (BPAGAAAD), Emergency Food Assistance & Nutrition Response (BPADADAE)

Keywords

• Emergency food assistance
• Food bank distribution
• Hunger relief services
• Community food programs
• Nonprofit food distribution

Headquarters

HQ city

Lakewood

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: Individual donors contribute the majority of EFN's funding (more than half). Donations are accepted online, by mail, through stock gifts, and via the Supper Club monthly giving program. Each $1 donated provides 2 meals for neighbors in need.
2. Corporate Partnerships: Corporate partners including Bank of America, MultiCare, Coordinated Care, and others provide financial support, volunteer hours, and food drive participation. Partners engage through workplace giving, matching gifts, event sponsorships, and direct contributions.
3. Workplace Giving: Employees can designate donations to EFN through workplace giving campaigns, including United Way campaigns. Many employers match employee gifts, doubling the impact.
4. Planned Giving: EFN accepts planned gifts including bequests, IRA beneficiary designations, life insurance policies, and stock donations. This allows donors to include EFN in their estate planning.
5. Federal and State Funding: EFN receives federal commodity foods and state funding for food bank operations. In 2024, 18% of EFN's funding came through federal programs. Washington State allocated $93.25 million to extend food bank and pantry funding for 2025-2027.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Emergency Food Network operates as the central food distribution hub for Pierce County, Washington, sourcing food from donors and federal programs and distributing it to 75+ partner food pantries, meal sites, and shelters at no cost to community members in need. The organization runs a volunteer-powered warehouse operation that inspects, sorts, packages, and distributes over 1 million pounds of food monthly, complemented by home delivery, senior food boxes, summer meal programs, and food locker pickup options.

Product overview

Emergency Food Network operates as a central food distribution hub serving Pierce County through a network of 75+ partner food pantries, meal sites, and shelters. The organization functions as a food bank warehouse and logistics operation rather than a consumer product company, distributing over 1 million pounds of food monthly. Core offerings include the Find Food Map (interactive locator for food resources), Home Delivery Program (for mobility-barrier households), Repack Project (volunteer bulk food repackaging), Commodity Supplemental Food Program (senior food boxes), and Summer Meal Programs. Supplementary services include the Supper Club monthly giving program, Food & Fund Drive organizing, and Staple Food Bags distributed through partner pantries. The organization connects donors/volunteers to food-insecure residents through digital platforms including Givecloud (donations), Better Impact (volunteer management), and an interactive Find Food Map.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Find Food Map Interactive map-based locator enabling Pierce County residents to find nearby food pantries, meal sites, home delivery services, and food lockers by zip code, with filters for category and days open.
• Home Delivery Program Home delivery of pre-packaged grocery boxes to community members facing mobility or transportation barriers, serving rural areas of Pierce County where food pantry access is limited. Currently has an extensive waitlist due to high demand.
• Repack Project Volunteer-driven bulk food repackaging operation at the Lakewood Distribution Center where volunteers transform bulk shipments into family-sized portions of oats, pasta, rice, and produce bags for distribution to partner pantries.
• Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP) Monthly food box program providing nutritious non-perishable food to eligible seniors aged 60 and older, distributed through volunteer-packed boxes. Approximately 96 boxes are packed weekly by the Fab 4 volunteer team.
• Food Pantry Network (Partner Programs) Network of 75+ food pantries, meal sites, and shelters across Pierce County receiving food distribution from EFN's central warehouse, serving over 3.5 million visits annually. EFN provides the majority of food these programs distribute.
• Food & Fund Drive Program Community food and fund drive organizing service offering both in-person food collection with branded bins and virtual food drives with custom fundraising pages, supplying over 150,000 meals annually.
• Summer Meal Programs Federally-funded summer feeding programs for children including SUN Bucks ($120 per eligible child), Parks Tacoma summer meals, and the All Youth Can Eat restaurant campaign providing free meals to youth 18 and under.

Quantifiable outcome

• $1 donated = 2 meals provided
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Bank of AmericacoreGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate partner supporting EFN through donations, employee volunteering, and workplace giving programs. Part of the Partners in Plenty recognition program.
• Coordinated CarecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHealthcare organization partner that understands the connection between food access and health outcomes. Supports EFN's work and helps bridge the gap between food and health services in Pierce County.
• Edward JonesminorGTM or Marketing PartnerFinancial services firm partner providing support through the Partners in Plenty corporate program.
• IBEW 483minorGTM or Marketing PartnerElectrical workers union partner supporting EFN through the Partners in Plenty program.
• Little Church on the PrairieminorGTM or Marketing PartnerFaith-based organization partner in the Partners in Plenty program.
• MultiCarecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor healthcare system partner running virtual food drives and supporting EFN's mission. Recognizes food access as a powerful tool for disease prevention and health promotion.
• Paine Financial ServicesminorGTM or Marketing PartnerFinancial services firm partner in the Partners in Plenty program.
• Raymond WestminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartner in the Partners in Plenty corporate support program.
• Rotary Club of Tacoma #8minorGTM or Marketing PartnerService club partner supporting EFN through the Partners in Plenty program.
• Transportation Club of TacomaminorGTM or Marketing PartnerIndustry organization partner in the Partners in Plenty program.
• Peak Credit UnionminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCredit union partner in the Partners in Plenty corporate support program.
• Columbia BankminorGTM or Marketing PartnerBanking partner in the Partners in Plenty program.
• United Way of Pierce CountycoreGTM or Marketing PartnerMajor community partner allowing donors to designate workplace giving contributions to EFN through United Way campaigns.
• Virginia Mason Franciscan HealthcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHealthcare system partner on the frontlines of bridging food and health. Understands that chronic illness management requires access to nutritious food.
• Waste ConnectionsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerWaste management company partner in the Partners in Plenty program.
• National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) Union Branch 130coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAnnual Stamp Out Hunger food drive partnership collecting 200,000+ pounds of food in one day across Pierce County.

Scale indicators14 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Feeding America: National umbrella network of 200+ food banks. EFN is essentially a regional member of this system and is directly comparable as a community food bank, though Feeding America operates at vastly greater scale and as a federated wholesale distributor.

Direct peers

• Food Bank of the Rockies: Colorado-based regional food bank distributing tens of millions of pounds annually through partner pantries. Closely comparable in scale (~similar poundage), partner-network model, and donor-funded nonprofit structure.
• Gleaners Community Food Bank: Southeast Michigan food bank operating a centralized distribution model with partner pantries and innovative food locker/programs. Comparable in scale and operational sophistication.
• Second Harvest Heartland: Minnesota-based regional food bank serving a comparable population through a partner-pantry distribution model. Similar mix of corporate partnerships, individual giving, and federal commodity sourcing.
• Food Lifeline: Seattle-based food bank serving Western Washington through a similar hub-and-spoke warehouse model distributing to partner pantries and meal programs. Closest geographic and operational peer to EFN within Washington State.
• Northwest Harvest: Washington State's leading statewide hunger relief agency, operating food distribution across multiple counties. Directly comparable nonprofit food bank model with similar partner pantry network and donor-driven funding structure.
• Maryland Food Bank: Mid-Atlantic regional food bank with similar poundage throughput, partner-pantry network, and federal commodity access. Comparable in funding mix and community-led distribution model.
• Food Share: Ventura County, California food bank distributing millions of pounds annually through partner pantries. Closely comparable in scale, model, and the central-warehouse-to-pantry distribution approach.

Regional players

• Oregon Food Bank: Portland-based regional food bank operating across Oregon and Clark County, WA with a hub-and-spoke distribution model. Comparable in operating model and mission; regional rather than direct competitor due to geography.

Others

• Goodwill Industries International: Large nonprofit with overlapping workforce-development and community-services adjacency. Tangentially comparable as a community-anchored nonprofit with similar volunteer and corporate-partnership engagement model, though not a direct food bank.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/efoodnet
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/efoodnet
• Facebookfacebook.com/efoodnet
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/emergency-food-network
• Instagraminstagram.com/emergencyfoodnetwork

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Emergency Food Network