Pennsylvania Agricultural Surplus System
The Pennsylvania Agricultural Surplus System (PASS) program helps
to support Pennsylvania’s agricultural industry statewide – making connections
between production agriculture and the non-profit sector responsible for
getting more nutritious food into the hands of Pennsylvanians at risk of
hunger.
What is PASS?
PASS provides an efficient mechanism for Pennsylvania’s
agricultural industry to donate safe, wholesome food products while being
reimbursed for the costs involved in harvesting, processing, packaging, and
transporting these foods. Without PASS, these food products would likely
otherwise be left to rot in the field, be plowed under, be dumped, or be
landfilled.
What
kinds of foods are procured through PASS?
PASS funding is used to procure and distribute several dozen different
types of products produced right here in Pennsylvania. These products include:
apples, asparagus, broccoli, butter, cabbage, cheese, chicken, corn, cucumbers,
eggs, green beans, ground beef, lettuce, milk, peaches, pears, potatoes,
squash, strawberries, tomatoes, yogurt, and zucchini. 
How are PASS products
distributed?
Thirteen local, charitable food distributors procure foods from
Pennsylvania agricultural producers, packers, and processors, using state
funding provided for the PASS program. Working with more than 2,700 local
charitable partners – including food pantries, soup kitchens, feeding programs,
and shelters – these distributors allocate food to help feed low-income
Pennsylvanians in need of food assistance in all 67 counties.
PASS Distributors Map
Who receives the
food?
Anyone eligible to receive food through food assistance programs
operated by the Unites States Department of Agriculture, such as The
Emergency Food Assistance Program, and/or the Pennsylvania Department of
Agriculture, such as the State
Food Purchase Program, is eligible to receive foods procured through the
PASS program.
Questions?
Producers interested in participating in PASS should contact Tom Mainzer, Feeding Pennsylvania's Director of Agricultural Partnerships, at tmainzer@feedingpa.org.
Questions regarding this program should be directed to the Bureau of Food Assistance by calling 800-468-2433, or emailing at RA-fooddist@pa.gov.
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