Local and Socially Disadvantaged Farmers Get $400 Million Boost in USDA's New Food Bank Plan
AgDay 06/08/21 USDA Food Bank Program
To help with the ongoing demand for food in the U.S., USDA announced it is investing $1 billion in the country's food bank networks.
A breakdown on how the money will be spent includes:
- $500 million to support emergency food assistance through the Emergency Food Assistance Program.
- $400 million will support local, regional and socially disadvantaged farmers. The idea here to buy food from these farmers for the food bank network.
- The Food and Nutrition Service will use $100-million for a new grant program to help food aid groups meet the new emergency food assistance requirements and expand their service to rural, remote and high poverty communities, which includes help for storage and refrigeration.
"It brings together both producers and consumers," says USDA Deputy Under Secretary Stacy Dean. "We know that we have lots of struggling americans. We also know farmers and ranchers and producers need our help as well."
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack saying the changes would seek to "apply lessons learned from food assistance activities early in the pandemic to improve how the USDA purchases food and supports on-the-ground organizations.”
The CEO of Hunger Free America calling it "a huge shot in the arm" for the food security sector.
