Farmers and food banks are facing some of the same challenges, huge food consumers, such as restaurants, schools, hotels and other businesses are closed, meaning they aren’t buying all the food they usually do and they aren’t donating the leftovers.
When asked Monday if the USDA has any plans for a program to redistribute food from farmers to food banks a spokesperson said, “Details on the program will be forthcoming shortly” and directed ABC News to Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue’slast week when he said the agency is using all its financial resources to develop a program to provide payments to farmers and try to adapt the supply chain.
A USDA spokesman also said the agency"is maximizing our services and flexibilities to ensure children and others who need food can get it during this coronavirus epidemic. This is a challenging time for many Americans, but it is reassuring to see President Trump and our fellow Americans stepping up to the challenges facing us to make sure kids and those facing hunger are fed.”
Anaheim police officers riding horses and wearing face masks monitor the traffic of people waiting in their cars during an Easter drive-thru food distribution at the Honda Center amid the coronavirus pandemic in Anaheim, Calif., April 11, 2020. Anaheim police officers riding horses and wearing face masks monitor the traffic of people waiting in their cars during an Easter drive-thru food distribution at the Honda Center amid the coronavirus pandemic in Anaheim, Calif., April 11, 2020.But Feeding America also emphasized that the federal government plays an even bigger role in helping Americans get enough healthy food. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or, provides nine meals to every one a food bank distributes.
“This is a problem that our food bank system -- however strong and capable it is -- is not able to solve on its own, it requires a massive government solution, through the various federal nutrition programs, TFAP, other than child nutrition programs, and it has to include a SNAP solution,” Fitzgerald said, adding that food banks can be one of the most accessible places for Americans to learn how to access those programs.
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