President Trump and Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue on Tuesday announced up to an additional $1 billion for the Farmers to Families Food Box Program. Additionally, USDA on Tuesday announced it has begun issuing agreements for distribution of food boxes in the upcoming third round of solicitations.
“I’m so proud of the people of USDA for designing this program in record time. With this additional up to $1 billion in funding, the Farmers to Families Food Box Program will continue to save countless jobs, support our farmers and move food to where it’s needed most,” said Secretary Perdue. “As the President said, when a food box is delivered to a family, we show them that in this country no one is forgotten.”
The addition of up to $1 billion in funding is part of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) funding. Entities that proposed under the previous solicitation, including current vendors, must resubmit a proposal to participate in the third round, according to USDA. As part of the third round, USDA will continue to review proposals and make announcements of Basic Ordering Agreements (BOA). Current BOA holders can be found here.
The first round of purchases under the program, occurring from May 15 through June 30, totaled up to $1.2 billion. The ongoing second round, which began July 1 and will end on August 31, has included USDA purchases over $1 billion, extended contracts of vendors from the first round worth up to $1.27 billion, and approved up to $202 million in new contracts directed toward food distribution in Opportunity Zones.
