SPRINGFIELD, Mo.— USDA confirmed on March 28 that $500 million in The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) food purchases, announced last year to be funded by the Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC), have been permanently canceled. Without these food orders, The Food Bank says there will be a $3 million food gap this year for local communities in southwest Missouri where 1 in 5 children and 1 in 6 adults face hunger.
TEFAP, which moves nutritious food from farms to food banks to families facing hunger, makes up nearly 25% of the food Ozarks Food Harvest distributes to its network of 270 faith-based and community charities. A third of the cancelled orders were protein items like beef, chicken, eggs and pork. The Food Bank says protein is one of the most expensive items to purchase and secure.
USDA recently announced the approval of $261 million for bonus purchases of fruits, vegetables and tree nuts to be distributed through TEFAP. The Food Bank is unsure when these USDA orders will be delivered.
Ozarks Food Harvest is asking the community for help so children, families and seniors can continue to access food without interruption this year.
For a Complete Look at All the Latest News Click Link Below
https://www.ecommnewsnetwork.com/category/news-daypop/