FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 10, 2017Contact: Sarah Vaughn
859-986-7422
Farms to Food Banks Program AcceptingProduce, Eggs
Berea, KY – This summer, Kentucky farmers have an opportunity to recover losses for their unmarketable product while helping fight hunger. Through the Farms to Food Banks program, the Kentucky Association of Food Banks (KAFB) reimburses farmers for the cost of picking, packaging, and transporting their surplus or Number 2 - grade produce to a food bank. Eggs from Kentucky farmers are also being accepted for the first time this year.
“Sometimes, no matter how carefully farmers plan, they are faced with surplus product,” said Sarah Vaughn, Farms to Food Banks Program Coordinator. “Farmers may also have product that is rejected by retailers because of minor blemishes or size discrepancies. The Farms to Food Banks program works with farmers to get Kentucky farm products from the field to food banks throughout the commonwealth.”
In 2016, the Farms to Food Banks program distributed enough produce to fill half a plate full of fruits and vegetables for over 5 million meals. Struggling families in all 120 Kentucky counties benefitted. The produce came from 385 Kentucky farmers in 67 counties who received an average payment of $2,000 for the produce they provided. Twelve Kentucky farm families received over $10,000 in 2016.
“Farms to Food Banks is great for Kentucky, not just for farmers but for everyone who eats. At the end of the day, if we can break even, we’re happy to donate,” says Ann Stone from Elmwood Stock Farm in Georgetown.
Thanks to an appropriation from the Kentucky General Assembly, the Kentucky Department of Agriculture will provide a $600,000 grant for the program this summer. Kentucky taxpayers also supported the program through $28,500 in donations made via their 2016 income tax return. Other private funders include Farm Credit Mid-America, Lift a Life Foundation, and TheCommunity Foundation - Strengthening Inland California Through Philanthropy.
The need for food assistance remains high in Kentucky. According to the USDA, 1 in 6 Kentuckians is food insecure, which means they lack consistent access to enough nutritious food for an active, healthy life.
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Participation in the Farms to Food Banks program is open to any Kentucky farmer. For more information, visit kyfoodbanks.org or call 859-986-7422.
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About the Kentucky Association of Food Banks:
The Kentucky Association of Food Banks is Kentucky’s largest charitable response to hunger, representing Kentucky’s 7 regional Feeding America food banks (Dare to Care Food Bank; Facing Hunger Foodbank; Feeding America, Kentucky’s Heartland; Freestore Foodbank; God’s Pantry Food Bank; Purchase Area Development District; and Tri-State Food Bank) and over 800 member charities including food pantries, soup kitchens and shelters. Last year its members distributed the equivalent of 58 million meals to 1 in 7 Kentuckians across the commonwealth.