SENATOR LEAHY BRINGS RELIEF TO FOOD BANKS AND HUNGRY AMERICANS
For Immediate Release
For more information, contact:
Judy Stermer
Office: 802-477-4108
Cell: 734-604-0096
SENATOR LEAHY BRINGS RELIEF TO FOOD BANKS AND HUNGRY AMERICANS
Senate Agriculture Committee Passed Farm Bill Strengthens Critical Federal Nutrition Programs
Barre, VT - October 25, 2007—The Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee approved a Farm Bill earlier today that would boost dwindling food inventories at the Vermont Foodbank and more than 270 local food shelves and soup kitchens throughout the state. The bill also makes important investments in the Food Stamp Program helping an estimated 50,000 low-income Vermonters that rely on food stamps to meet their basic needs. Overall, the Senate Agriculture Committee bill provides $4.3 billion in new investments in federal nutrition programs over the next five years.
“We are very grateful to Senator Leahy and his colleagues on the Committee for their leadership in moving forward with a strong nutrition title in the Farm Bill,” said Doug O’Brien, chief executive officer of the Vermont Foodbank. “This legislation will bring much needed relief to needy Vermonters facing the prospect of declining food stocks at food shelves and will also help food stamp recipients by ending the erosion in benefits and helping these families with increased ability to purchase food. I am very pleased that despite severe budget constraints, Senator Leahy helped his colleagues to find the resources to make these critical investments.”
The Farm Bill legislation comes at a time when the Vermont Foodbank and food banks nationwide are experiencing a dramatic decline in the Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) food from surplus commodity purchases by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). In Vermont, surplus commodity donations fell from a value of $1,036,288 in 2003 to under $300,000 in 2006. “The decline in federal support has occurred at the worst possible time. Increased demand is being seen throughout the state at the same time that Foodbank and local food shelves have much less food. That is why we are grateful that Senator Leahy pushed so hard to help make this happen. When you have no money to buy food or your food stamps have run out the only thing worse than an empty cupboard at home is an empty food shelf or food bank. You’ve got no where else to go,” explained O’Brien.
The declines in TEFAP are primarily a result of a strong agricultural economy in recent years. This results in USDA purchasing and distributing much less surplus food for charities. The value of USDA food support to emergency feeding organizations has declined dramatically in recent years. The changes that Senator Leahy helped secure would provide more than $240 million annually in TEFAP food purchases. That will mean nearly doubling the amount of TEFAP for Vermont from $181,902 in 2007 to an estimated $350,000 in 2008.
For the Food Stamp Program, the legislation helps end the erosion of food purchasing ability by increasing benefit levels, increasing the minimum benefit – which until now had been unchanged for three decades, creating new work supports related to child care expenses, and encouraging savings for education and retirement for food stamp beneficiaries. The provisions strengthening the Food Stamp Program will help provide an additional $5 million in food stamp benefits for needy Vermonters over the next five years.
The bill also encourages the consumption of fresh fruit and vegetables by school children in Vermont through expanded produce purchases for schools.
“Improvements in TEFAP and the substantial increases in the Food Stamp Program will help an estimated 66,000 low-income Vermonters. With increased fuel and utility costs, rising food prices and anxiety about credit and homeownership, these changes are critical to ensuring that we have an adequate nutrition safety net for low-income Vermonters,” said O’Brien. “The Vermont Foodbank and our partners in the state will continue our work to end hunger in Vermont, but we can not do it alone. The Senate bill is moving us one step closer to accomplishing this important mission.”
The House passed a Farm Bill in late July. The full Senate is expected to consider the bill passed by the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee in the next few weeks.
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The Vermont Foodbank is a statewide organization and is the largest hunger relief charity in Vermont. The Vermont Foodbank provided more than 6 million pounds of food to 279 local partner agencies in all 14 counties last year. The Vermont Foodbank and its partners served more than 66,000 needy Vermonters with more than 5 million meals in 2006. The Vermont Foodbank is a member of America’s Second Harvest – The Nation’s Food Bank Network.
