Actions that satisfy the intent of the recommendation have been taken.
, Executive Candidate Assessment and Development Program, The Secretary of Agriculture should take steps to apply the lesson learned from the Food Box Program regarding collecting and analyzing data to assess program goals to current and future emergency food assistance programs. Washington, DC, June 4, 2020 - U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced today that the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Farmers to Families Food Box Program has distributed more than five million food boxes in support of American farmers and families affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. A lock ( LockA locked padlock ) or https:// means youve safely connected to the .gov website. Statement Attributed to Vince Hall, Interim Chief Government Relations Officer. (Recommendation 1), USDA Food Box Program: Key Information and Opportunities to Better Assess Performance, Create alternative outlets for food producers after they lost customers (e.g., restaurants). Is this going ro end in February at round 5 or will there be more help. A complete list of BOA holders can be found athttps://www.ams.usda.gov/sites/default/files/media/RoundFourBOAHolders.pdf(PDF, 180 KB). The additional funding for the program was included in the COVID-19 relief package as part of theConsolidated Appropriations Act passed December 21, 2020. The program was designed and implemented as a temporary . USDA announced contracts for the third round on Sept. 17, 2020. "The Farmers to Families Food Box Program was designed to put American farmers and . GAO recommends that USDA apply the lesson learned from the Food Box Program regarding collecting and analyzing data to assess program goals to current and future emergency food assistance programs. The U.S. Department of Agriculture will purchase an additional $1.5 billion worth of food for nationwide distribution through the Farmers to Families Food Box Program. Some friends do not have internet access trying to help them. A full list of approved suppliers will be posted on the Farmers to Families Food Box Program webpage. Chalmers Carr, owner of Titan Farms: Then the USDA Farmers to Families program came out, and we were able to establish new markets, save the latter half of our crop. GAO also compared USDA's efforts to collect and analyze data on the program against federal guidance, USDA's strategic plan, and documents that include lessons learned. President Trump delivers remarks last week on the Farmers to Families Food Box program at Flavor 1st Growers and Packers in Mills River, N.C. Evan Vucci/AP hide caption I live in Arizona so do I just call the number for my area to find out about a food box??? We are now into the third round of deliveries and were working harder than ever to continue to build on the success of the program.. "The contractors just said, 'Do you want the food or not?' Or pass it on to somebody you know who could use it, a neighbor, a friend or an acquaintance from church for example. It will be gobbled up!! I was absolutely DISGUSTED when I learned these four people who were receiving these boxes were women who receive coal miner benefits due to their deceased husbands who were coal minersall four of these women are EACH receiving over $4,000 per month, and three are also receiving asbestos settlements well over $250,000.00 This is absolutely pathetic! Using authority provided by the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, USDA partnered with national, regional and local distributors, whose workforces were significantly impacted by the closure of restaurants, hotels and other food service businesses, to purchase and distribute agricultural products to Americans in need. Deliveries will begin shortly after awards are issued and continuewith option periodsthrough the end of April. My daughter would have benefited so much, had she known about it sooner. The unprecedented pandemic and economic downturn have resulted in an average 55 percent increase in people needing assistance from our food banks, with many families seeking help for the first time. Eligibility for the third round was open to entities who could meet the governments requirements and specifications and whose proposals illustrated coverage of opportunity zones and addressed costs incurred delivering product into the hands of recipients, among other factors. Of the 6.1 billion meals that we helped provide to communities in 2020, 779 million meals were through the Farmers to Families Food Box program . GAO analyzed information from USDA's website, database, and departmental guidance. The USDA Farmers-to-Families Food Box Program aims to support local and regional businesses by purchasing and distributing agricultural products to communities in need. hide caption. Amy Harvey, Open Door Missions Chief Community Relations Officer: With this program theyve been able to help more people than their outreach centers have allowed during COVID. "Some of these food boxes, they were $40, $50, $60 for what you'd get at a grocery store for about $20.". Shelly Holiness: These are all low-income residents who otherwise would have no access to healthy food, and even if they did, theyre priced out. It's worked out so well," President Trump told a cheering crowd on Aug. 24 in North Carolina. Local companies chosen to receive funds in the base period include Pacific Coast Fruit, Aloha Produce of Central Oregon, Smith Brothers Farms (Alpenrose), and Fry Family Farms. These partners will work with the Oregon Food Bank Network and other hunger-relief organizations to distribute emergency food boxes filled with fresh produce, dairy and meat in communities throughout the region. Harry Bell, of Color A Positive Thought: The foods are donated by Farmers to Families The food distribution is important in these pandemic times which have made people sick, cost people their jobs and left them hungry. This new round of Farmers to Families Food Boxes will go a long way in helping American families access nutritious and healthy meals as we recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue said. They get love and concern from a church family they never knew they had. Michaela Kopf of Lexington Community Foundation: The boxes have been a hit within the communityThe good thing is how nutritionally diverse the boxes areThey get one box of produce, a box of dairy, sometimes we get milk, and then one box of proteinsAnd it's different every week. These contract awards will go to vendors who submitted the strongest proposals in support of American agriculture and the American people. The plan was called "truck-to-trunk." "The efforts of everyone involved form the backbone of the Farmers to Families Food Box Program and its goal to help fill the hunger gap in all of our communities." Background: USDA is exercising this option to extend contracts for current distributors for the next performance period, July 1- Aug. 30, for up to $1.16 billion of food. Josh Murphy, Director of Sourcing at the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank: In this program USDA is paying contractors to put together boxes of fresh healthy fruits and vegetables or of mixed dairy products or of mixed meat products and distribute them directly to food banks and distribution sitesUnderstanding that every time you bring in a trailer load of rice, 40 thousand families are affected. "This is fraught with waste, fraud and abuse.". You are truly a Godsend! The program paid contractors to buy food from producers and deliver it to organizations like food banksaiming to. Several school districts, faith-based organizations and other community partners have also expressed interest in participating in the food box initiative, with details to be determined in the coming weeks. ET, Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2021. The Farmers to Families Food Box Program got off to a strong start, delivering over 35.5 million boxes in the first 45 days, and has now reached over 50 million boxes delivered - a testament to everyone's hard work. A full list of approved suppliers will be posted on the Farmers to Families Food Box Program webpage after 5 p.m. Yet the program, according to several people involved in it, was not designed to deliver food efficiently to people who need it most. This is extremely upsetting! Deliveries from many food distributors will start on Monday, May 18, 2020. The initiative awards contracts to distributors whose operations have been significantly impacted by the closure of many restaurants, schools and other food service entities. Our mission is to eliminate hunger and its root causes because no one should be hungry. What a lovely offering. The USDA announced on Friday that contractors have delivered 75 million boxes so far. Through this program, USDAs Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) is partnering with national, regional and local suppliers, whose workforce has been significantly impacted by the closure of restaurants, hotels and other food service businesses, to purchase up to $3 billion in fresh produce, dairy and meat products. (Washington, D.C., September 17, 2020) Following President Donald Trumps approval to include up to an additional $1 billion in the Farmers to Families Food Box Program, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has approved up to $1 billion in contracts to support American producers and communities in need through the USDA Farmers to Families Food Box Program. Feeding America also supports programs that prevent food waste and improve food security among the people we serve; brings attention to the social and systemic barriers that contribute to food insecurity in our nation; and advocates for legislation that protects people from going hungry. We will continue to work with USDA and congressional leaders to strengthen federal nutrition programs. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. An official website of the United States government. Calbrina Ward Woods, organizer of Empowered by Faith: It shows the community is pulling together, and its pulling together as oneIm ecstatic. @OurHouseShelter: For the past 13 weeks, 28 volunteers have worked 176 hours to serve over 12,000 families with the USDAs Farmers to Families Food Box program! Feeding America appreciates USDAs commitment to listening to feedback from the frontline workers helping to feed our communities and moving forward in a direction that helps people most in need. Its going to take a little legwork and Im so sorry but this is the best weve got. @SESPride: When your school district and community cares about the whole child it shows in the smiles of our families and today was full of lots of happy faces! Doug Groendyke, Harvest Hope food sourcer: When youre feeding tens of thousands of people every week, this new program from the USDA and all the farmers whove contributed to this program, its been paramount to feed the clientsPeople need help, and thats what were here for. These contract awards are part of thefifthround of the programannouncedJanuary 4, for deliveries throughthe end of April. WASHINGTON, May 8, 2020 The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today approved $1.2 billion in contracts to support American producers and communities in need through the USDA Farmers to Families Food Box Program. search farms to families on facebook: The program included organizations such as food banks, which received food boxes; contractors that purchased and delivered the food; and food producers, such as farmers and ranchers. How do you find the distribution places on there? Brett Baker, United Apple Sales Executive Vice President: The program took advance of some of the apples that due to COVID, we didnt have a home for They are going to different food pantries, different food banks, outreach-type organizations. You may play the USDA Farmers Feed Families Food Box Program video or on the image below to watch a highlight video of USDAs Farmers to Families Food Box Program in action across the United States: Prairie Fruits Farm: This program is literally saving our farm., Newsmax: For its fast-acting, innovation, generosity and efficiency in regards to responding to the potential of Americans' food insecurity during this crisis, you have to give Team Trump and the USDA an A plus on this one., Lead Pastor Jerry Lawson: Its really one of the best things to come out of the CARES Act., Nick Weaver of West Group Holdings: Anytime you can step in and fill a gap and provide a service that is going to be helping farmers and families - that's the American way., Michael Lane, CEO of Galapagos Rockford Charter School: It's a great program because not only does it get free food to people who need it, but it pays farmers. 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