Sam Jones-Ellard (202) 720-2739 Samuel.jones@ams.usda.gov
SAN ANTONIO, Texas, Aug. 20, 2010 – Agriculture Under Secretary Ed Avalos today will serve food and visit a San Antonio food bank that is participating in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.The San Antonio Food Bank and Haven for Hope Campus are recipient agencies of commodities purchased by the U.S. Department of Agriculture under the Recovery Act, which helps provide wholesome foods and fund feeding programs throughout the United States and in Texas. The visit was part of the Obama Administration's "Recovery Summer" events being held across the country to highlight the surge in Recovery Act projects underway this summer.
"The San Antonio Food Bank and the hard work folks are performing in Texas is a great example of the impact Recovery Act dollars are having," said Avalos, who oversees marketing and regulatory programs for USDA. “Nearly one out of every three children and one out of every five adults in Southwest Texas lives in poverty and has difficulty meeting basic nutritional needs, and these purchases are helping to feed them."
The Recovery Act provided $100 million in Federal funds for USDA to purchase commodities and provide immediate food assistance, along with $50 million to enable states to administer feeding programs to their fullest capacity and effectiveness. As a result, states were able to make necessary repairs to transporting equipment, upgrade and expand refrigerating systems to maintain fresh foods, and enhance other administrative capabilities that would allow them to feed more of the country’s population with quality foods.
The USDA Agricultural Marketing Service purchased $68.7 million worth of ready-to-eat and ready-to-prepare foods such as mixed fruit, peaches, ham, pork, chicken, and shell eggs, for distribution to local food banks. In addition, the USDA Farm Service Agency purchased $31.3 million worth of peanuts, peanut butter and cheese. In Texas alone, USDA purchased and distributed over $8.2 million worth of food, in addition to funding over $4 million in transportation costs, refrigeration upgrades, and additional food purchases.
The mission of the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service is to administer programs that facilitate the efficient, fair marketing of U.S. agricultural products, including food, fiber, and specialty crops, through interstate and international commerce. The agency manages the marketing of dairy, fruits, vegetables, livestock, poultry, seed, cotton and tobacco to support the Nation’s producers and handlers, in addition to providing quality, wholesome foods through Federal food and nutrition programs.
President Obama signed The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 into law on Feb. 17, 2009. It is designed to jumpstart the Nation's economy, create or save millions of jobs and put a down payment on addressing long-neglected challenges so our country can thrive in the 21st century. The Act includes measures to modernize our Nation's infrastructure, enhance energy independence, expand educational opportunities, preserve and improve affordable health care, provide tax relief, and protect those in greatest need.
More information about USDA's Recovery Act efforts is available at http://www.usda.gov/RECOVERY. More information about the Federal government's efforts on the Recovery Act is available at http://www.recovery.gov.
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