Statement Attributed to Vince Hall, Interim Chief Government Relations Officer
“Feeding America, the largest hunger-relief organization in the United States, supports the decision by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to end the Farmers to Families Food Box Program and focus on providing assistance through the nation’s food bank system and nutrition programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). The American Rescue Plan included $3.6 billion for nutrition assistance programs and, building on the lessons of the Farmers to Families Food Box Program, USDA is developing more efficient and effective approaches. Feeding America appreciates USDA’s 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.
“In 2020, our 200 food banks and 60,000 partner pantries and meals sites worked to help provide food to millions of people, reaching every county in the United States. 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. 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.
“We know that even with the significant increase in meals across the country, for every meal that the entire Feeding America network provides, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) provides nine. We will continue to work with USDA and congressional leaders to strengthen federal nutrition programs. We are calling for a continuation of a 15 percent increase in SNAP for the duration of the economic downturn and additional investments in food resources for our nation’s food banks. We look forward to working with USDA to develop additional community solutions that will help ensure that families facing hunger are able to put food on their tables.”
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About Feeding America
Feeding America is committed to an America where no one is hungry. We support tens of millions of people who experience food insecurity to get the food and resources they say they need to thrive as part of a nationwide network of food banks, statewide food bank associations, food pantries and meal programs. We also invest in innovative solutions to increase equitable access to nutritious food, advocate for legislation that improves food security and work to address factors that impact food security, such as health, cost of living and employment. We partner with people experiencing food insecurity, policymakers, organizations, and supporters, united with them in a movement to end hunger. Visit FeedingAmerica.org to learn more.