USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) announced more than $7.5 million will be designated for Farm to Food Bank Project funding to 29 states and territories that administer The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) in fiscal year 2022. Farm to Food Bank Grants support the harvesting, processing, packaging or transportation of food donated by agricultural producers, processors or distributors for use by emergency feeding organizations, like food banks, a release said.
Not only do TEFAP Farm to Food Bank projects help to reduce food waste and expand the availability of locally grown foods by facilitating producer donations, but they also foster stronger relationships between industry, food banks and other organizations through food donation efforts.
FNS explains that projects funded through TEFAP Farm to Food Bank Grants explore ways to improve local food systems, with a focus on diverting excess agricultural products to those in need.
In Ohio, for example, grant funds will be used to reimburse cheese producers for the cost to pick, pack and transport surplus “cheese trim,” the cheese that remains after exact weight packaged cheese bricks are cut for sale. The cheese trim will be donated, shredded, packaged and ultimately distributed to individuals in need through the state’s food bank network, FNS said in a release.
In FY 2022, grants will reach 29 states and territories, including seven that are newly participating. States and territories participating in FY 2022 projects are: Arizona, Arkansas, California, Delaware, Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Minnesota, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming, and newly participating states and territories: Colorado, Hawaii, Michigan, Montana, Utah, West Virginia and Puerto Rico.
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