WWW.QNS.COM RIDGEWOOD TIMES APRIL 8, 2021 7
Congress members urge U.S. Dept. of Agriculture
to strengthen pandemic food security programs
BY CARLOTTA MOHAMED
CMOHAMED@SCHNEPSMEDIA.COM
@QNS
Three Congress members are urging The U.S.
Department of Agriculture (USDA) to take
necessary steps to ensure future food relief
initiatives, like the Farmers to Families Food Box
Program, are equitable and accessible to all those
in need.
Queens Congresswoman Grace Meng, Nydia
Velazquez (D-Brooklyn) and Adriano Espaillat
(D-Bronx) sent a letter to Agriculture Secretary
Tom Vilsack on March 31 in response to the department’s
request for public comment to potentially
replace the Farmers to Families Food Box Program
with a new program to distribute additional aid
to nonprofits serving Americans who are facing
food insecurity.
The USDA noted in its request for public input,
that “while the food box effort served some communities
well, it faced challenges in others.”
According to the representatives, millions of
Americans — including tens of thousands of New
Yorkers — struggled to put food on the table during
the COVID-19 pandemic. To address this issue,
Congress created the Farmers to Families Food
Box Program to ensure no family goes hungry.
“Paved with best intentions, the program was
hobbled by miscommunication with program participants,
restrictions on what types of food boxes
could be provided, and lack of flexibility to serve
different areas beyond their geographical jurisdiction,”
the Congress members said in the letter.
“As USDA considers a new food relief program, it is
imperative that our recommendations be included
to ensure it serves all communities, including
those who are Kosher and Halal observant. We
look forward to Secretary Vilsack’s response.”
Meng, Velazquez and Espaillat are asking Vilsack
to include the following recommendations
in a future relief program:
• Ensure transparent communication with all
participants of this program well in advance of
any rule changes
• Accept contracts for both combination boxes,
and boxes that provide only meat, dairy, or
produce
• Ensure vendors have the flexibility to provide
excess food supply to those in need, beyond their
geographical jurisdiction
The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic
Security (CARES) Act created CFAP, a $19 billion
program to help agricultural producers – who
have faced a 5 percent or greater decline in commodity
prices – access financial relief during
COVID-19. The program also supports funding for
USDA’s Farmers to Families Food Box Program,
which allows USDA to purchase fresh produce,
dairy and meat products from American producers
to package into boxes that are distributed by
nonprofits, and faith-based and community organizations
to Americans facing food insecurity. The
Coronavirus Food Assistance Program’s Farmers
to Families Food Box initiative is administered by
the USDA.
Kate Mackenzie, director of the Mayor’s Office
of Food Policy, said the Families Food Box Program
has been a critical resource for many New Yorkers
in need over the past year.
“I am grateful to representatives Meng, Velazquez,
and Espaillat for their continued advocacy
and commitment to ensure that future iterations
of this program are as strong and equitable
as possible,” Mackenzie said.
United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)
Farmers to Families food boxes are seen on a
table at the nonprofi t New Life Centers’ food
pantry. Photo via REUTERS/Daniel Acker
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