Today, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS), in conjunction with the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) and the Office of Partnerships and Public Engagement (OPPE), published Frequently Asked Questions for non-profit organizations seeking to receive food through the Farmers to Families Food Box Program. The Frequently Asked Questions are available on the AMS website.
On April 17, 2020, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP). As part of this announcement Secretary Perdue also created the Farmers to Families Food Box Program. Through this program USDA will partner with regional and local distributors, whose workforce has been significantly impacted by the closure of restaurants, hotels and other food service entities, to purchase up to $3 billion in fresh produce, dairy and meat products. The program will begin with the procurement of an estimated $100 million per month in fresh fruits and vegetables, $100 million per month in a variety of dairy products and $100 million per month in meat products. Participating distributors and wholesalers will then package a pre-approved box of fresh produce, dairy and meat products for delivery to food banks, community and faith-based organizations and other non-profits serving Americans in need.
Additional information on the Farmers to Families Food Box Program is available on the AMS website.
Additional questions may be submitted to USDAFoodBoxDistributionProgram@usda.gov.