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 “[w]hile 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 five 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 non-profits, 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.
Marcel Van Ooyen, president and CEO of GrowNYC, said the potential impact of this program is significant to our work of providing fresh, healthy food to New Yorkers in need.
“We hope the USDA will consider increasing individual purchasing power for families hard hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as address the recommendations presented by Representatives Meng, Velazquez, and Espillat, along with those of other local stakeholders including mid-sized farms and nonprofit organizations like GrowNYC,” Ooyen said.
