Community Food Bank of Central Alabama is partnering with the U.S. Department of Agriculture and local for-profit food distributors to implement the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP) or the Farmers to Families Food Box Program. The purpose of Farmers to Families is to provide fresh, healthy foods to vulnerable populations through regularly scheduled distributions.
Farmers to Families delivers large amounts of fresh (i.e., perishable) foods–including fresh fruits and vegetables–to partner sites “Just-In-Time” to be quickly distributed to individuals in need. All foods are prepackaged by for-profit distributors into grocery boxes ranging in size from 15-25 lbs. These preassembled boxes are then delivered directly to partner sites who distribute them THE SAME DAY THEY ARE RECEIVED to participating families via a “drive-through” distribution system. By serving families in their vehicles, volunteers are able to maintain safe social distancing in accordance with CDC guidance.
“Thank you so much for this food distribution. We have had so many tell us they don’t know what they would do if it wasn’t for us handing out food weekly. This has been a huge blessing to our community.” – Kim Battles, Susan Moore Schools & Mt. Pleasant Baptist Church
Potential partners might include but not necessarily be limited to the following:
NOTE: Individual persons not affiliated with an organization should not apply.
As part of the Coronavirus Farm Assistance Program Secretary Perdue announced on April 17 that the USDA is exercising authority under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act to purchase and distribute up to $3 billion of agricultural products to those in need. 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 fresh produce, dairy, and meat.The distributors and wholesalers will then provide a pre-approved box of fresh produce, dairy, and meat products to food banks, community and faith-based organizations, and other non-profits serving Americans in need. Learn more from the USDA.