Meng Urges USDA to Fix Problems with Critical Food Assistance Program

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Rep. Grace Meng (D-Queens), joined by other members of New York's Congressional Delegation, sent a letter today to U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Purdue expressing concern about changes to a key federal program that provides funding to local pantries and food assistance organizations.

The correspondence is in response to adjustments in the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program's Farmers to Families Food Boxes (CFAP) initiative that has impacted which boroughs can be served by specific vendors. As a result of this change, many of these food assistance groups in Queens and other parts of New York City have been left without vendors or guidance on who they could contract with to purchase food supplies. This problem has been further complicated because the U.S. Department of Agriculture provided no overlap in service, or general assistance to those suddenly without a vendor.

The letter also urges Secretary Perdue to stop politicizing CFAP food boxes with a letter from President Trump.

"I'm deeply troubled by USDA's changes to the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program's Farmers to Families Food Boxes initiative that seeks to help those facing food insecurity," said Congresswoman Meng. "Families are struggling to put food on the table and now many may go hungry because of the agency's restrictions on which counties and boroughs vendors can serve, even when they have the capacity to serve the whole City. I know firsthand that groups—like La Jornada in Queens—were affected by this sudden change. Secretary Perdue must ensure that impacted food pantries and nonprofits are instructed on which vendors they can partner with to provide food to our community. In a city as diverse as New York, food assistance organizations often serve specific cultural or religious communities. If this program is not carefully executed, we can be sure that whole communities in our borough and city will remain underserved. I await the Secretary's response to this letter."

"Across New York City, tens of thousands of New Yorkers are struggling to keep food on the table while food pantries work overtime to try to meet the crisis of food insecurity," said Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY). "Food pantries need partners, not roadblocks, so they can feed everyone, including those who keep kosher and halal. My colleagues and I won't stop fighting until we get the answers community leaders deserve."

The correspondence also demands answers to an unanswered August 28th letter that Meng and other New York City Members of Congress sent to Secretary Purdue about changes to CFAP that affected those who observe kosher and halal dietary practices.

The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act created CFAP, a $19 billion program to help agricultural producers – who have faced a five percent or greater decline in commodity prices – access financial relief during COVID-19. The program also supports funding for USDA's Farmers to Families Food Box Program, which allows USDA to purchase fresh produce, dairy and meat products from American producers to package into boxes that are distributed by non-profits, and faith-based and community organizations to Americans facing food insecurity. The Coronavirus Food Assistance Program's Farmers to Families Food Box initiative is administered by the USDA.

The text of the letter to Secretary Perdue is below and a copy of the correspondence can be viewed here.

-----------------------------------------

Secretary Sonny Perdue
U.S. Department of Agriculture
1400 Independence Ave, SW
Washington, DC 20250

Dear Secretary Perdue,

We write to express concern about the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)'s handling of the transition between vendors for the Coronavirus Food Assistant Program's Farmers to Families Food Boxes (CFAP). This program has been critical in feeding those who are facing food insecurity. However, in the transition between the CFAP vendors selected for rounds two and three, miscommunication from USDA has left many food pantries in New York City suddenly without food, causing upheaval in the lives of those families who were relying on their local pantries for meals.

We understand that the new vendors selected for round three of this program were required to specify the counties or boroughs to which they would provide food. However, this has forced many non-profits and food pantries who had relationships with vendors no longer serving their county or borough to scramble to find new partnerships, with no guidance from USDA, no overlap in service provision, and nowhere to turn for help.

Further, it is our understanding that many vendors applied for round three contracts with preexisting relationships with food pantries in the regions they will serve. This means that those who have lost their non-profit partners have been forced to identify their new vendors after their old partnerships have been cut, again without any guidance from USDA. In a city as diverse as New York, food pantries often serve specific cultural or religious communities. If new vendors are simply providing food to those pantries that they already have relationships with, we can be sure that whole communities in our city will remain underserved.

It has also come to our attention that each Farmers to Families box will now include a signed letter from President Trump. Using federal programs that feed hungry families during a national crisis to pursue a political agenda is unacceptable and egregious. We urge you to immediately cease adding these letters to CFAP boxes.

Finally, while we have already expressed this concern in an unacknowledged letter to you dated August 28^th, every vendor that was selected for round three will be providing mixed meat/dairy/produce boxes. This eliminates the participation of kosher pantries, who often serve both kosher and halal communities. To fail to provide for these pantries in the midst of the Jewish High Holidays is particularly shocking and has resulted in Jewish families across the city unable to access food during their most holy season.

Our city's food pantries have reported an over 600% increase in need as compared to months before the pandemic; hungry families are desperate. We urge you to immediately ensure that round three CFAP vendors are proactively reaching out to food pantries who can no longer work with their former partners; to clearly explain to food pantries who their new vendor is; and to provide produce-only boxes to kosher pantries.

We urgently await a response to this letter.

Sincerely,