Mar 17, 2021
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) is urging US Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack to improve the pipeline between small and mid-size farmers and their products and people who have dealt with hunger during the pandemic.
This comes as Vilsack has called for suggestions to improve the USDA s Farmer to Families Food Box Program, which had the dual aim of reducing food insecurity and giving farmers an outlet for their food. Under the the federal CARES Act, it paid food companies to buy fruits, vegetables, meat, eggs and milk from local producers, then package it and deliver it to food banks.
One federal program that, since last fall, has been distributing food across the country in several phases is not distributing in San Diego County right now, however.
The USDA Farmers to Families Food Box Program was put together to help struggling farmers and families during the pandemic, and San Diego County food banks were getting boxes until recently.
“We were getting about five truckloads a week, which was great, Flores said. It really helped augment what we were doing.
After months of distribution, though, a problem arose. NBC 7 learned that different vendors across the country bid to distribute the food boxes in each phase of the program. Under the federal contracts, the vendors are supposed to deliver food as equitably as possible to the states.