Food banks in Massachusetts are struggling to meet demand as the farm bill remains stalled in Congress.
The bill, to be renegotiated every five years, includes an emergency food assistance program that ensures food banks can help 20% of Massachusetts households facing hunger.
As food prices remain high and pandemic-related supply chain disruptions continue, advocates for these families are calling on Congress to appeal to Congress, said Vince Hall, Feeding America’s chief government relations officer. He said he is calling for the program’s funding to be doubled.
“This program transfers food from local farms to local food banks, helping to bridge the gap between donated food and needed food,” he said.
Mr Hall said the current emergency food assistance program is still operating on a 2008 cost basis and its impact is limited. He said failure to secure this additional funding would have dire consequences. One in every 12 children in the Commonwealth faces food insecurity.
Feeding America is partnering with the Farm Bureau, International Dairy Association, and Pork Producers Council to raise awareness about the negative impact the stalled Farm Bill is having on America’s poorest households. But infighting within the Republican-led House has stalled legislative priorities. Hall said if the Farm Bill is not updated soon, the current hunger gap will widen.
“There may be a crisis where there is not enough food available to feed people in need,” Hall said. “In that case, distribution centers may have to close or food may not be available at distribution centers. There won’t be enough,” he said.
Hall added that Feeding America and other organizations are urging families to advocate for their rights and speak with legislative leaders in their communities. He said it’s important that members of Congress also visit food banks to see what their own hunger looks like and understand how important food banks are to keeping families fed.
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Maine’s food banks are struggling to meet demand as the farm bill remains stalled in Congress.
The bill, which is renegotiated every five years, includes an emergency food assistance program that ensures food banks can help the 11 percent of Maine households facing hunger.
As food prices remain high and supply chains continue to be disrupted, advocates for these families are calling on Congress to defund the program, said Vince Hall, Feeding America’s chief government relations officer. He said he is calling for the amount to be doubled.
“This program transfers food from local farms to local food banks, helping to bridge the gap between donated food and needed food,” he said.
Mr Hall said the current emergency food assistance program is still operating on a 2008 cost basis and its impact is limited. He said failure to secure this additional funding would have dire consequences. One in five children in Maine face food insecurity.
Feeding America is working with the Farm Bureau, International Dairy Association, and Pork Producers Council to raise awareness of the negative effects of delays in the Farm Bill, but infighting within the Republican-led House of Representatives has disrupted legislative priorities. is stuck. Hall said if the Farm Bill is not updated soon, the current hunger gap will widen even further.
“There may be a crisis where there is not enough food available to feed people in need, in which case distribution stations will have to close or they will run out of food,” Hall said. ” he said.
For nearly two decades, Maine has had the highest rate of food insecurity in New England. State officials hope to reverse this trend with a roadmap to end hunger by 2030, but significant structural challenges exist. More than 40% of food-insecure Maine residents have incomes that exceed the eligibility criteria for relief programs such as SNAP and WIC.
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So-called “farm-to-school” programs to make school meals healthier are not new, but a grant program taking shape in Wisconsin could take the effort to new heights.
Starting February 1, Wisconsin will be one of four states in the Great Lakes region to accept grant applications from community partners who are developing plans to bring more locally grown foods into school cafeterias. It turns out. Funding is provided by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the Lake Michigan School Lunch System Innovation Hub is facilitating this effort.
Daiti Wolf, senior early education analyst for the group Kids Forward, said the main mission is simple.
“We want local, healthy school meals that kids love,” Wolf explained.
Kids Forward is a member of the Innovation Hub and is helping lead the rollout of grant initiatives in Wisconsin. Wolf suggested that healthier options could improve student outcomes and make more culturally appropriate options available in diverse school districts. He acknowledged that a major challenge is that the National School Lunch Program has limited reimbursement for the types of meals provided.
Wolf pointed to efforts in Stevens Point to provide Hmong food to high school students. This sparked a debate for additional federal exemptions. Meanwhile, states like Wisconsin could benefit greatly from strengthening their “farm-to-school” pipeline, he said.
“We’re not like Iowa. Iowa is a corn-based commodity state,” Wolf pointed out. “Because we have local producers, we have every opportunity to connect local communities with producers.”
He added that this will not only benefit the local economy but also help establish better health outcomes for students. Wolf said Wisconsin will prioritize gathering feedback from students so they can define what they want to eat. Grants range from $10,000 to $250,000. The entire program is designed to last him five years.
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In a state where nearly 10% of households face food insecurity, Georgia food banks are tackling an urgent problem.
The nonprofit organization Feeding America said the Farm Bill, an important piece of legislation that is renegotiated by Congress every five years, holds the key to addressing the issue.
Vince Hall, Feeding America’s chief government relations officer, said there is a huge gap between the amount of food donated and the actual needs of communities, especially rural areas, which is why the Farm Bill is so important. He said the program was helpful.
“We are asking Congress to double funding for emergency food assistance programs,” Hall explained. “This program transfers food from local farms to local food banks, helping to bridge the gap between donated food and needed food.”
He stressed that the current emergency food assistance program is still operating on a 2008 cost basis and its impact is limited. Hall noted that the consequences of not securing this additional funding are dire, with 14% of Georgia’s children facing food insecurity.
In his petition for changes to the Farm Bill, Hall added that his organization is working with the Farm Bureau, the International Dairy Association and the Pork Producers Council to raise awareness of the issue. He said if the bill is not updated soon, the current hunger gap will widen further.
“If Congress does not make additional investments in emergency food assistance, there will not be enough food available to feed people in need, rations will have to be stopped, or distribution centers will run out of food.” There could be a crisis of
He added that he is also working to make it easier for people to advocate for themselves and talk to leaders in their communities.
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