A traditional church “Food Drive” where members donate canned goods is not cost-effective. When food is purchased by nonprofits from Feeding America food banks like the Capital Area Food Bank or Maryland Food Bank, donation dollars can go much further. Consider a “virtual” food drive instead and send the proceeds to a nonprofit food agency like Celestial Manna.
On April 17, 2020, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP). This new U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) program will take several actions to assist farmers, ranchers, and consumers in response to the COVID-19 national emergency. President Trump directed USDA to craft this $19 billion immediate relief program to provide critical support to our farmers and ranchers, maintain the integrity of our food supply chain, and ensure every American continues to receive and have access to the food they need.
“During this time of national crisis, President Trump and USDA are standing with our farmers, ranchers, and all citizens to make sure they are taken care of,” Secretary Perdue said. “The American food supply chain had to adapt, and it remains safe, secure, and strong, and we all know that starts with America’s farmers and ranchers. This program will not only provide immediate relief for our farmers and ranchers, but it will also allow for the purchase and distribution of our agricultural abundance to help our fellow Americans in need.”
CFAP will use the funding and authorities provided in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES), the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA), and other USDA existing authorities. The program includes two major elements to achieve these goals.
On top of these targeted programs, USDA will utilize other available funding sources to purchase and distribute food to those in need.
As a food supplier to low-income families and others who are food insecure, this second point is of most interest to us here in the metro DC region of Maryland, District of Columbia and Northern Virginia.
USDA will partner with regional and local distributors, whose workforce has been significantly impacted by the closure of many restaurants, hotels, and other food-service entities, to purchase $3 billion in fresh produce, dairy, and meat. USDA will begin with the procurement of:
This “Farmers to Families Food Box Program” will provide a preapproved box of fresh produce, dairy, and meat products to food banks, community- and faith-based organizations, and other nonprofits serving Americans in need. Although farmers and industry experts feel that CFAP is a woefully inadequate response to both the oversupply of unpurchased produce and the demand for food, food banks, and local food pantries should be thankful for what they can get through this program.
Suppliers will package these products totaling $1.2 billion into family-sized boxes, then transport them to food banks, community and faith-based organizations, and other non-profits serving Americans in need from May 15 through June 30, 2020. AMS may elect to extend the period of performance of the contracts, via option periods, dependent upon program success and available remaining funds, up to $3 billion.
Any entity that provides to the supplier proof of its 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status or a government entity (e.g. school food authority, Indian tribe) and who can demonstrate that they have the operational and financial capability to receive, store and distribute requested food items is eligible to receive food from contracted distributors. Through its contracting process, USDA will require that distributors participating in the program maintain records showing their deliveries have occurred to appropriate non-profit organizations. Non-profit organizations will be responsible for timely distribution of food. Food banks and other non-profits may work with identified distributors serving their area to assist in the distribution process.
Contractors must submit an invoicing package that indicates the number of boxes delivered, contents of the boxes, and proof of delivery to a non-profit or other organization in the contract. There are no reporting requirements for the non-profit or government organizations.
USDA will not be purchasing bulk shelf-stable items through the Farmers to Families Food Box Program. However, through USDA’s existing programs and additional funding provided by Congress USDA will be making additional purchases of these products. These will include purchases made with Section 32, Families First Coronavirus Response Act and CARES Act funds and made available to the Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP).
In our area, produce and shelf-stable items are available through the Capital Area Food Bank, a member of Feeding America. The Capital Area Food Bank leads our region’s efforts to provide good, healthy food to people struggling with hunger and food insecurity. Each year, they source and distribute the food for over 30 million meals. The Feeding America network is the nation’s largest domestic hunger-relief organization, working to connect people with food and end hunger. Donors, staff, and volunteers all play an important role in efforts to end hunger in the United States.
RESOURCES
USDA Agricultural Marketing Service Overview
https://www.ams.usda.gov/about-ams
USDA Announces Coronavirus Food Assistance Program, Press Release Number 0222.20 dated 04/17/2020 (accessed 05/23/2020)
https://www.usda.gov/media/press-releases/2020/04/17/usda-announces-coronavirus-food-assistance-program
Farmers to Families Food Box Infographic (pdf) (accessed 05/23/2020)
https://www.ams.usda.gov/sites/default/files/media/FarmerstoFamiliesFoodBox.pdf
The USDA’s Plan to Feed Americans and Pay Farmers Is Not Enough, by Matt Stieb, dated 04/26/2020 (accessed 05/23/2020)
https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2020/04/usda-plan-to-feed-americans-and-pay-farmers-isnt-enough.html
Coronavirus Food Assistance Program FAQ, Last Updated: May 20, 2020 (accessed 05/23/2020)
https://www.farmers.gov/cfap/faq
USDA AMS Farmers to Families Food Box (accessed 05/23/2020)
https://www.ams.usda.gov/selling-food-to-usda/farmers-to-families-food-box
Farmers to Families Food Box Program FAQs, Published 04/27/2020 (accessed 05/23/2020)
https://www.ams.usda.gov/publications/content/farmers-families-food-box-program-faqs
Capital Area Food Bank (accessed 05/23/2020)
https://www.capitalareafoodbank.org
Feeding America (accessed 05/23/2020)
https://www.feedingamerica.org
###
In 1939, Secretary of Agriculture Henry Wallace consolidated a number of bureaus and programs to create a single agency to carry out a sweeping mission. The new Agricultural Marketing Service was charged with facilitating the efficient, fair marketing of U.S. agricultural products, including food, fiber, and specialty crops. In 2017, Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue announced the realignment of a number of offices within the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).
USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) administers programs that create domestic and international marketing opportunities for U.S. producers of food, fiber, and specialty crops. AMS also provides the agriculture industry with valuable services to ensure the quality and availability of wholesome food for consumers across the country.
The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) is a federal program that helps supplement the diets of low-income Americans, including elderly people, by providing them with emergency food assistance at no cost. Through TEFAP, the U.S. Department of Agriculture purchases a variety of nutritious, high-quality USDA Foods, and makes those foods available to State Distributing Agencies.
TEFAP foods include dairy products, grain & oilseed products, fruits, vegetables, nuts, beef, bison, lamb, pork, poultry, egg products, fish, and seafood.
USDA makes commodity foods available to States for distribution to low-income people through emergency food providers. USDA also provides States with funding to assist with a small amount the storage and distribution costs for TEFAP commodities. The amount of food each State receives out of the total amount of food provided is based on the number of unemployed persons and the number of people with incomes below the poverty level in the State.
TEFAP is a means-tested federal program that provides food commodities at no cost to Americans in need of short-term hunger relief through food providers like emergency food pantries, food banks, soup kitchens and shelters. Here in the DC region, the Capital Area Food Bank (CAFB) participates in TEFAP. In Montgomery County, Maryland, Manna Food Center is an authorized distributor of TEFAP food obtained from CAFB. In the DC region, not just Montgomery County, Celestial Manna is a partner of CAFB and will be applying to become a TEFAP-authorized agency.
Food banks such as CAFB, combine TEFAP commodities and storage and distribution funding with private donations of food and funds, infrastructure, and manpower to leverage the program far beyond its budgeted amount. In this way, TEFAP and the emergency food system exemplify an optimum model of public-private partnership.
In summary, TEFAP is a federal program that helps supplement the diets of low-income Americans by providing them with emergency food assistance at no cost. USDA provides 100% American-grown USDA Foods and administrative funds to States to operate The Emergency Food Assistance Program.
REFERENCES (accessed 05/10/2020)
https://www.feedingamerica.org/take-action/advocate/federal-hunger-relief-programs/the-emergency-food-assistance-program
https://www.ams.usda.gov/about-ams
https://www.ams.usda.gov/sites/default/files/media/AMS_Fact_Sheet_2019.pdf
https://www.ams.usda.gov/programs-offices/ams-overview
https://www.ams.usda.gov/selling-food/becoming-approved
https://www.ams.usda.gov/selling-food/solicitations
https://www.fns.usda.gov/tefap/emergency-food-assistance-program
https://www.fns.usda.gov/tefap/tefap-fact-sheet
David Robert Lambert 
You must be logged in to post a comment.