As the coronavirus pandemic took hold this spring, first daughter and senior White House adviser Ivanka Trump helped spearhead the launch of a new $3 billion program aimed at helping farmers whose livelihoods were at risk with restaurants closed, while also providing fresh food to needy families.
spoke to multiple farmers, distributors and suppliers who have received contracts through the program. Nearly all of them said that while it may not have been a perfect roll out, they saw the idea behind the program as crucial to keeping the nation's food supply chain intact during an unprecedented time.
The Farmers to Families program, which is funded through a coronavirus relief package Congress passed in March, isn't intended to take the place of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program's food stamp benefits. Growth in SNAP during COVID-19's spread shows food insecurity sharply rose as people lost their jobs and businesses shut down.
He also praised the efforts to quickly get the program running and work through initial missteps, which in addition to questions raised about the first round of quickly-awarded contracts, included problems with the quality of the boxes and the items they contained. Distribution sites reported receiving boxes with spoiled items and items that had little nutritional value. One farmer recounted hearing a story about a contractor who filled boxes just with onions.
"It's a learning curve for everybody," said the official, who wasn't authorized to speak on the record about the inner-workings and criticisms of the program."If they don't do the work and don't meet the requirements, they won't get extended.
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