The Emergency Food and Shelter Program began in 1983 with a $50 million federal appropriation. The program was created by Congress to help meet the needs of hungry and homeless people throughout the United States and its territories by allocating federal funds for the provision of food and shelter.

The program is governed by a National Board composed of representatives of the American Red Cross; Catholic Charities, USA; The Jewish Federations of North America; National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA; The Salvation Army; and United Way Worldwide. The Board is chaired by a representative of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

During its 40 years of operation, the program disbursed over $6.5 billion to over 14,000 local providers in more than 2,500 counties and cities.

EFSP Guiding Principles are:

• Efficiency—fiscal administration, reporting and procedural guidance to Local Boards and LROs
• Accountability—good steward of taxpayers’ dollars through reasonable oversight and transparency
• Responsiveness—prioritize the allocation of supplemental funds to the neediest areas in the nation
• Partnership—promote and strengthen collaboration between non-profit organizations and public sector
• Facilitating—maximizing appropriate local decision-making through clear guidance and training