USDA grant helps stock Indiana food pantries
Contributed By: Terri Dee, Indiana News Service
Additional $500 million to purchase fruits, vegetables, and nuts
People will gather over the Thanksgiving holiday with family and friends to count their blessings.
While the holiday feast is plentiful for many, some people fear a lack of food access leaves them with little to celebrate.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced last week that food providers in predominantly rural, remote, and underserved communities in the state will receive an additional $500 million to purchase fruits, vegetables, and nuts to stock their food pantries.
USDA Undersecretary Jennifer Moffitt stressed the purchasing power of Hoosier local food banks and pantries.
"They're able to buy what the community needs, and they're able to buy from local farmers and ranchers, which supports regional economies as well." said Moffitt. "For Indiana, $12 million has been going through the Department of Agriculture to food banks and pantries in the region."
The $500 million is in addition to $1.5 billion in funding since 2022 for emergency food providers nationwide.
Moffitt said the funding is about connecting farmers and food with the Emergency Food Network to bring that product to local communities.
This will enable farmers to sell their products at a good price to food banks and pantries, grocery stores, and restaurants.
The Indiana Department of Agriculture reports there are 94,000 farmers in Indiana.
Victor Garcia is president and CEO of the Food Bank of Northwest Indiana.
He said the demand for the organization's food supply is still operating at the same elevated levels that it did during the pandemic.
And just like consumers who face inflationary challenges at the grocery store, he said the food bank is feeling those same pressures.
"Unfortunately, the food bank relies on purchased food - as well as USDA products and donated food to support the various programs that we offer," said Garcia. "But with the rise in cost of food, we are unable to source as much food as there is in demand."
Additional funding for programs like the local Food Purchase Assistance Program or the Emergency Food Assistance Program, he added, helps decrease the gap in terms of food inventory.
Garcia said the Northwest Indiana food pantry is seeing on average 60,000 people accessing its services each month.
Story Posted:11/25/2024
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