The hunger-relief organization is distributing locally grown
produce as part of the Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative
Agreement Program (LFPA)
SAN
DIEGO, April 30, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Feeding
San Diego, San Diego County's leading hunger-relief and
food rescue organization, is now distributing produce from local
farms purchased with federal funds intended to bolster the
underserved, both farmers and community members served by
hunger-relief organizations.
Feeding San
Diego is now distributing locally grown produce as part of a
national program to bolster the underserved.
Starting last month, Feeding San Diego—a partner food bank of
Feeding America—started working with local farm cooperative
Foodshed to source locally grown produce as part of the LFPA
program and distribute it to 1,350 households at two sites in
San Diego County. One is in the
city of San Diego and another is
in the rural community of Alpine.
As part of the program, hundreds of thousands of dollars will be
injected into the local food economy by purchasing local produce
over the next two years. The funding is made available to Feeding
San Diego through the California Association of Food Banks,
California's leading hunger-relief
organization of which Feeding San Diego is a member.
"Purchasing locally grown, organic produce is usually out of
reach for our organization, because of the cost and the fact that
we provide millions of pounds of food through hunger-relief
programs throughout the county. Still, we know it's critical to the
strength of our local economy, environment, and community to
support local food systems whenever possible," said Patty O'Connor, chief operations officer at
Feeding San Diego. "While we do receive food donations from local
farmers, we have not been able to purchase from them. The LFPA
program centers on the importance of supporting local food systems
in our hunger relief work, which we hope will remain at the
forefront of our sourcing practices in the years to
come."
The LFPA program is a national program from the United States
Department of Agriculture (USDA) that provides funds from the
American Rescue Plan and Commodity Credit Corporation for state,
tribal, and territorial governments to purchase foods produced
within the state or 400 miles of the delivery destination. It
supports the local food system and, at the same time, builds and
expands economic opportunities for local and underserved producers.
Produce that has been distributed so far includes locally grown
tangelos, beets, broccoli, cabbage, arugula, kale, kabocha squash,
and shiitake mushrooms.
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content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/feeding-san-diego-participating-in-national-program-to-support-local-farmers-food-systems-and-combat-food-insecurity-302130984.html
SOURCE Feeding San Diego