[House Hearing, 117 Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
A LOOK AT FOOD INSECURITY IN AMERICA
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HEARING
BEFORE THE
COMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
ONE HUNDRED SEVENTEENTH CONGRESS
FIRST SESSION
__________
MARCH 11, 2021
__________
Serial No. 117-2
Printed for the use of the Committee on Agriculture
agriculture.house.gov
[GRAPHIC NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
__________
U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE
44-672 PDF WASHINGTON : 2021
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COMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE
DAVID SCOTT, Georgia, Chairman
JIM COSTA, California GLENN THOMPSON, Pennsylvania,
JAMES P. McGOVERN, Massachusetts Ranking Minority Member
FILEMON VELA, Texas AUSTIN SCOTT, Georgia
ALMA S. ADAMS, North Carolina, Vice ERIC A. ``RICK'' CRAWFORD,
Chair Arkansas
ABIGAIL DAVIS SPANBERGER, Virginia SCOTT DesJARLAIS, Tennessee
JAHANA HAYES, Connecticut VICKY HARTZLER, Missouri
ANTONIO DELGADO, New York DOUG LaMALFA, California
BOBBY L. RUSH, Illinois RODNEY DAVIS, Illinois
CHELLIE PINGREE, Maine RICK W. ALLEN, Georgia
GREGORIO KILILI CAMACHO SABLAN, DAVID ROUZER, North Carolina
Northern Mariana Islands TRENT KELLY, Mississippi
ANN M. KUSTER, New Hampshire DON BACON, Nebraska
CHERI BUSTOS, Illinois DUSTY JOHNSON, South Dakota
SEAN PATRICK MALONEY, New York JAMES R. BAIRD, Indiana
STACEY E. PLASKETT, Virgin Islands JIM HAGEDORN, Minnesota
TOM O'HALLERAN, Arizona CHRIS JACOBS, New York
SALUD O. CARBAJAL, California TROY BALDERSON, Ohio
RO KHANNA, California MICHAEL CLOUD, Texas
AL LAWSON, Jr., Florida TRACEY MANN, Kansas
J. LUIS CORREA, California RANDY FEENSTRA, Iowa
ANGIE CRAIG, Minnesota MARY E. MILLER, Illinois
JOSH HARDER, California BARRY MOORE, Alabama
CYNTHIA AXNE, Iowa KAT CAMMACK, Florida
KIM SCHRIER, Washington MICHELLE FISCHBACH, Minnesota
JIMMY PANETTA, California ------
ANN KIRKPATRICK, Arizona
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______
Anne Simmons, Staff Director
Parish Braden, Minority Staff Director
(ii)
C O N T E N T S
----------
Page
Davis, Hon. Rodney, a Representative in Congress from Illinois,
submitted report............................................... 121
Scott, Hon. David, a Representative in Congress from Georgia,
opening statement.............................................. 1
Prepared statement........................................... 3
Submitted letters on behalf of:
Besik, Ph.D., Deniz, Assistant Professor of Management,
Robins School of Business, University of Richmond...... 103
Biotechnology Innovation Organization.................... 106
Submitted statement on behalf of Barbara P. Glenn, Ph.D.,
Chief Executive Officer, National Association of State
Departments of Agriculture................................. 108
Mann, Hon. Tracey, a Representative in Congress from Kansas,
letter submitted on behalf of Barry Feaker, Executive Director,
Topeka Rescue Mission Ministries............................... 134
Panetta, Hon. Jimmy, a Representative in Congress from
California, submitted statement on behalf of Robert Guenther,
Senior Vice President, Public Policy, United Fresh Produce
Association.................................................... 118
Thompson, Hon. Glenn, a Representative in Congress from
Pennsylvania, opening statement................................ 4
Submitted statement on behalf of Dave Donaldson, Co-Founder,
Chairman, Chief Executive Officer, CityServe,
International; Facilitator, Faith-Based Collaboration for
F2F........................................................ 119
Witnesses
Waide, Kyle, President and Chief Executive Officer, Atlanta
Community Food Bank, Atlanta, GA............................... 7
Prepared statement........................................... 9
Submitted questions.......................................... 136
Duvall, Zippy, President, American Farm Bureau Federation,
Washington, D.C................................................ 14
Prepared statement........................................... 15
Submitted questions.......................................... 137
Hodel, Eric, Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer,
Midwest Food Bank, Normal, IL.................................. 17
Prepared statement........................................... 18
Submitted question........................................... 138
McBrayer, Jr., Max E., Chief Executive Officer, RaceTrac
Petroleum, Inc., Atlanta, GA................................... 42
Prepared statement........................................... 43
Edenfield, Ron, President and Chief Executive Officer, Wayfield
Foods, Inc., Lithia Springs, GA................................ 48
Prepared statement........................................... 49
Submitted questions.......................................... 138
A LOOK AT FOOD INSECURITY IN AMERICA
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THURSDAY, MARCH 11, 2021
House of Representatives,
Committee on Agriculture,
Washington, D.C.
The Committee met, pursuant to call, at 9:00 a.m., via
Webex, Hon. David Scott of Georgia [Chairman of the Committee]
presiding.
Members present: Representatives David Scott of Georgia,
Costa, McGovern, Adams, Spanberger, Hayes, Delgado, Rush,
Pingree, Kuster, Bustos, O'Halleran, Carbajal, Khanna, Lawson,
Craig, Harder, Axne, Schrier, Panetta, Kirkpatrick, Bishop,
Thompson, Austin Scott of Georgia, Crawford, DesJarlais,
Hartzler, LaMalfa, Davis, Allen, Rouzer, Kelly, Bacon, Johnson,
Baird, Hagedorn, Cloud, Mann, Feenstra, Miller, Moore, Cammack,
and Fischbach.
Staff present: Lyron Blum-Evitts, Ross Hettervig, Prescott
Martin III, Anne Simmons, Ashley Smith, Caleb Crosswhite, Ricki
Schroeder, Jennifer Tiller, Erin Wilson, John Konya, and Dana
Sandman.
OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. DAVID SCOTT, A REPRESENTATIVE IN
CONGRESS FROM GEORGIA
The Chairman. This hearing of the Committee on Agriculture
entitled, A Look at Food Insecurity in America, will now come
to order.
I want to welcome, and I want to thank, everyone for
joining us today at this hearing. This is a momentous hearing.
It is a much-needed hearing. We have, ladies and gentlemen, an
extraordinary crisis on our hands confronting our nation, and
that is a hunger crisis. And it is very important because there
is no Committee up here that is more highly regarded to deal
with the issue of hunger and food security than our House
Agriculture Committee. And this goes for both Democrats and
Republicans. We come to this hearing jointly to get the
information, to get the facts, to get some understanding as to
why, right now, we have 12 million of our children in this
country going to bed hungry and malnourished every night. We
are, indeed, the greatest country in the world. We are the most
powerful country in the world, and now, today, we are going to
show truly how great we are and how powerful we are as a
nation, because we are going to solve this hunger crisis. And
we start today.
And now, Members will be recognized in order of seniority,
alternating between Majority and Minority Members, and in order
of arrival for those Members who have joined us after the
hearing was called to order. Now, when you are recognized,
please unmute your microphone and you will have 5 minutes to
ask your questions and make a comment. I am going to be
somewhat more strict than I have been in terms of the 5
minutes, because we want to make sure that every Member has the
time to get their questions answered and to make their
contribution. Each of our distinguished guests will have their
time to do likewise.
And so, in order to get in as many questions as possible,
the timer will stay consistently visible on your screens, and
we also have somewhat of a busy morning schedule on the Floor.
But this hearing is too important. We must continue and carry
it on. And so, I am asking Members to work with the staff,
communicate with the staff. These votes are staggered. Some can
go while others stay. And when I am gone and I will vote, I
have asked the distinguished gentlelady from Connecticut, Mrs.
Jahana Hayes, who is also the Chairwoman of the Subcommittee on
Nutrition, Oversight, and Department Operations, to substitute
for me while I go vote.
So, with that, I want to thank all of you on this Committee
for sharing your comments with me, some of you, on how
important this hearing is, and that we want to solve the hunger
situation in our nation, and food insecurity.
We all know from our own experience how disruptive this
COVID-19 pandemic has been to each of our daily lives, our
families' lives, and of course, trying to conduct our business
here in Washington. We can well imagine these hassles have
magnified multiple times.
And you know, I was thinking, just imagine being without a
paycheck when we have literally millions of our citizens that
had a paycheck don't have it now, and that is why we see lines,
miles long, of our citizens trying to get food from our
community food banks, and these lines are miles long, and
imagine trying to feed your kids adequately, plus teach them at
home because of COVID, and pay the bills, and keep looking for
a job, all while worried that you may not even make next
month's rent or the mortgage.
These are some of the special difficulties that many of our
families have been facing for the past year. Fortunately,
Congress has responded with critical COVID-19 legislation like
Families First, CARES, provisions in the omnibus that we passed
in December, and yesterday's historic passage of the American
Rescue Plan. And I am certain some of the modifications and
increases that were included in those bills are making a
difference to families in need in my district, as well as each
of your districts as members.
We know that we have saved lives, although we have also
lost lives. But where are we now? We continue to see lines,
waiting hours to pick up a box of food. We see video footage of
children saying they are just plain hungry. I was very moved by
the report on CNN where they showed this young lady, in tears.
``What is wrong,'' they said. She said, ``I am starving, and my
family is.'' And even if we are now seeing a light at the end
of the tunnel as vaccination rates increase, we know that SNAP
enrollments are way up, and food banks continue to be flooded
with people who have never before had to seek help.
Let's look at the numbers very briefly. Prior to the
pandemic in February of 2020, there were 36.8 million people in
our country on SNAP. By April of 2020, SNAP rolls were up to 40
million people, and that increased to nearly 43 million by
September of last year. What can we anticipate in the future?
The Congressional Budget Office in February released their
baseline projections for the next 10 years for SNAP. They
predict that the negative effects of the pandemic will continue
through most of 2022, with an average total of 44 million of
our precious Americans on SNAP next year, before it begins to
decrease in 2023, hopefully and prayerfully. Even if this virus
disappears, we are going to be living with its aftermath for
some time. This is why I have said over and over that this
hearing is perhaps our most critical, because folks, as you
well know, we can do without a lot of things, but we cannot
survive without food.
So, we need to be realistic about this and continue to work
to shore up the people who are counting on us to help them, and
just like a hurricane or tornado or flood, or an earthquake, we
are dealing with a natural disaster that demands we come
together, Republicans and Democrats, working together. If we
work together as Democrats and Republicans, we will find the
real solution to hunger in our great nation. This, ladies and
gentlemen, is our responsibility. This is our charge this
morning, and we are going to need help and also, we are going
to need the almighty hand of God to help lead us together as
Democrats and Republicans to solve this hunger crisis in our
nation.
[The prepared statement of Mr. David Scott follows:]
Prepared Statement of Hon. David Scott, a Representative in Congress
from Georgia
Good morning, and thank you to everyone for coming a little early
today so we have ample time to discuss today's very important topic,
which is hunger, and food insecurity.
We all know from our own experience how disruptive the pandemic has
been to our daily lives. Well imagine these hassles magnified multiple
times.
Imagine being without a paycheck, without a car and fearful of
public transportation. Imagine trying to feed your kids adequately,
plus teach them at home and pay the bills, and keep looking for a job,
all while worried that you may not make next month's rent.
These are some of the special difficulties low-income families have
been facing this past year.
Fortunately, Congress has responded with critical COVID legislation
like Families First, CARES, provisions in the Omnibus we passed in
December and yesterday's historic passage of the American Rescue Plan.
I am certain some of the modifications and increases that were
included in those bills made a difference to families in need. In my
district, I know it saved some lives even as many other lives were lost
to COVID-19.
But where are we now? We continue to see lines of cars waiting
hours to pick up a box of food. We see video footage of children saying
they are just plain hungry. And, even if we see a light at the end of
the tunnel as vaccination rates increase, we know SNAP enrollments are
way up, and food banks continue to be flooded with people who have
never before had to seek help.
Let's look at the numbers:
Prior to the pandemic, in February of 2020, there were 36.8
million people on SNAP.
By April of 2020, SNAP rolls were up to 40 million people
and that increased to nearly 43 by September of last year.
What can we anticipate in the future? The Congressional Budget
Office in February released their Baseline Projections for the next 10
years for SNAP. They predict that the negative effects of the pandemic
will continue through most of 2022, with an average total of 44 million
on SNAP next year, before it begins to decrease in 2023.
So, even if this virus disappears, we are going to be living with
its aftermath for some time. We need to be realistic about this and
continue to work to shore up the people who are counting on us to help
them through this crisis.
Just like a hurricane, a tornado, a flood or an earthquake, we are
dealing with a natural disaster that demands we come together for a
real solution to hunger. This is our responsibility and we are going to
need help.
And today, we have help in form of these fine witnesses all of whom
are experts in some aspect of feeding people.
We thank each of you for your time and expertise in joining us
today and look forward to hearing your experiences with what you are
seeing in your communities that will assist us as we look at another
year of increased food insecurity due to the pandemic.
The Chairman. Thank you. I didn't mean to carry that so
long, but this hearing is so important.
And now, I would like to welcome our distinguished Ranking
Member, my good friend, the gentleman from Pennsylvania, Mr.
Thompson, for his opening remarks.
OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. GLENN THOMPSON, A REPRESENTATIVE IN
CONGRESS FROM PENNSYLVANIA
Mr. Thompson. Well, thank you, Chairman. Good morning,
everyone.
First of all, let me thank our witnesses for their time and
their attention. Your participation on what is this Committee's
first, or at least, more fulsome attempt at publicly reviewing
the pandemic and Congress's response is much appreciated.
I think we have a lot to celebrate, actually, with what we
have accomplished in the nutrition space, and it actually
started with our 2018 Farm Bill. What the Administration was
able to very adequately and appropriately utilize to make sure
that neighbors in need had access to nutrition, that
authorization came through our hard work, specifically in the
2018 Farm Bill, the most recent edition, obviously, the 2018
Farm Bill. But also, as Members, in 2020 I think it is--the
Members in this committee room, Members of our Committee,
Republicans and Democrats, who worked in a bipartisan way on
five CARES bills, the most--last one in 2020 being--that we
passed on December 21 signed by President Trump December 27.
Those really took advantage of the authorization we provided in
the farm bill, and we were able to appropriate in order to meet
the needs of our neighbors in need, under the conditions of
this specific--I know we call it a pandemic. Quite frankly, it
was a plague that plagued our families, our businesses, our
communities.
So, this pandemic has infiltrated our lives in every sense
possible. Unfortunately, the brunt of it was borne on our
communities, and in particular, families already living
paycheck to paycheck. In too many instances, arrogant career
politicians issued statewide indiscriminate edicts forcing
businesses and schools to shut their doors, plummeting our
communities into a deep recession. As the end of the pandemic
nears, I hope we can use today to discuss what worked, what
needs improvement, and ways to provide these families with more
holistic services, particularly as they engage in a post-
pandemic economy that will look somewhat wildly different.
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistant Program, or SNAP,
currently provides nutrition assistance to 43 million
individuals, with an average individual benefit of $183. Total
SNAP-related spending in Fiscal Year 2020 was $78.9 billion,
which includes benefits, administration, nutrition education,
employment and training, and program integrity. And of the
$78.9 billion, $74.2 billion was solely for benefits. By way of
the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, the Coronavirus
Aid Relief and Economic Security Act, and Consolidated
Appropriations Act of 2021, more than $37.8 billion has been
appropriated to respond to the Supplemental Nutrition
Assistance needs of our communities. This monumental response
is in addition to the more than $7.7 billion per month in
standard SNAP benefits.
Now, beyond direct funding from Congress, the former and
the current Administrations have issued more than 4,000
administrative waivers to states. These waivers impact
operations related to the program eligibility, distribution of
benefits, employment and training, and more.
These facts are startling. Combined with the myriad of
social service policies, including those found in the short-
sided, outrageously naive American Rescue Plan, we are in the
midst of our nation's second largest expansion of entitlements.
Now, unsurprisingly, leading economists and Wall Street
analysts have said key parts of the bill are poorly targeted to
the specific needs of the crisis. While my colleagues would
like nothing more than for me to focus on their charade, I am
going to leave that conversation for another hearing. Today, it
is about the response. The witnesses before us are everyday
heroes. These are the folks who responded without hesitation to
the needs of their communities infested by a pandemic that took
the lives of hundreds of thousands of our friends, neighbors,
and family members. Whether it be the farmer who chose to
donate their crop or the food bank who opened additional sites
to be more accommodating, the witnesses before us and every
single person who helps keep these entities operational deserve
our thanks and our sincere appreciation, Mr. Chairman. We are
so appreciative of them.
And while the Department is not represented in today's
hearing, I must give them my accolades as well, particularly
the former Administration--like it or lump it--the bulk of the
response originated in the last Congress under President Trump.
Quick-thinking folks implemented pandemic EBT, and the Farmers
to Families Food Box Program, two projects that remain
remarkably beneficial to families in need. The latter continues
to fall victim to inconceivable criticism, and there is always
room for more solutions to the needs of our nation. The Farmers
to Families Food Box Program has opened eligibility, making
certain anyone and everyone in need, regardless of status,
income, or household size, has supplementary access to
nutritious foods that run the gamut from fruits and vegetables,
to meat, and to dairy. I would say, some of the most
nutritional foods that we could ever provide through our
nutrition programs. This program has provided more than 143
million boxes to households across the United States, and with
this program, farmers were able to redirect their products, and
American workers were able to sustain employment or join new
ventures, all to ensure fresh foods found their way into the
homes of millions. Now, regardless of the cherry-picked hiccups
this Committee has heard about over the summer, the program has
worked exactly as intended.
And with that, my thanks to the witnesses once again for
their participation, and I trust that Chairman Scott will
continue to host additional oversight hearings across all
programs and constituencies germane to this pandemic response.
With that, thank you, Mr. Chairman, and I yield back.
The Chairman. Thank you very much, Mr. Ranking Member, and
your comments were, as usual, excellent and well-prepared and
well-delivered.
Mr. Thompson. You are very kind.
The Chairman. Thank you.
As Chairman, I would request that other Members submit
their opening statements for the record so witnesses may begin
their testimony and to ensure that there is ample time for
questions.
Once again, I would like to welcome all of our witnesses,
and thank you for being here. I echo the Ranking Member's
comments about our witnesses this morning, and I hope that
people all across this country who are watching this hearing,
tuning in, to please call a friend or neighbor and let them
hear, because the only way we are going to be able to respond
to this hunger crisis is to listen, to learn from the people
who are out there dealing with it every day.
Our first witness is certainly exemplary of that. Our first
witness--and I am so pleased to welcome--is Mr. Kyle Waide.
Please, let me tell you of my own personal relationship with
Mr. Waide. When we had a crisis in terms of helping to get food
out, as well as the pandemic testing, he joined with me as a
partner and we were able to get food at Mundy's Mill High
School in Clayton County, where we fed over 6,000 people and
tested them, saved their lives, and delivered food to them. And
Ranking Member Thompson, I might say, our good friend, yours
and mine, Sonny Perdue, who was Agriculture Secretary there, he
was out there with me and Kyle Waide delivering baskets of
food, and that is why I say this is truly a bipartisan venture.
And so, let me tell you just a little bit about Kyle Waide.
He has been and is the President and the CEO of the Atlanta
Community Food Bank, and he has served in that capacity for the
last 5 years, going into his sixth year. He has served as CEO
and President ever since 2015. And he also serves as the
Chairman of the Southeast Regional Cooperative and he is also
the Vice Chair of the Georgia Food Bank Association. Prior to
his role as CEO and President, Mr. Waide served as the food
bank's Vice President of Partner Operations, and he has truly
been my partner in what we are doing, and going into the
communities, bringing the food, bringing the vaccine so we can
get this behind us.
Our second witness who I am pleased to be able to invite to
join us today is another great and good friend, Zippy Duvall. I
just love that name. I love to say it, as probably you can tell
from the way I am saying it. Zippy Duvall. Zippy is President
of the American Farm Bureau Federation, and Mr. Duvall has
served as President of the Farm Bureau since 2016. And he is a
third-generation farmer from Georgia. He owns a beef cow herd.
He raises broiler chickens, and he grows hay. What a farmer.
Prior to serving as the AFBF President, Zippy Duvall was
President of the Georgia Farm Bureau and served on the Farm
Bureau's Board of Directors. We are so delighted to have you
with us, Zippy.
Our third witness is Mr. Max McBrayer, and Mr. McBrayer has
been with RaceTrac Petroleum for 29 years, and he has served as
the CEO since 2019. Prior to his current role, he served as the
Chief Financial Officer and Chief Supply Officer. He was born
and raised in Georgia, and he owns and is the Chief Executive
Officer of over 500 RaceTrac convenience store operations. It
is great to have you with us.
Next, we will hear from Mr. Ron Edenfield, another great
friend, who has been an exemplary leader as a leader on the
grocery store ownership side of our agriculture and food
industry. Mr. Edenfield is the President and CEO of Wayfield
Foods, Inc. He co-founded Wayfield Foods in 1982, and now owns
nine locations across the metro Atlanta area. Mr. Edenfield
also serves on the Food Industry Association's Board of
Directors, and previously served on the Board of Directors for
the Georgia Food Industry Association.
As I said, what a stellar panel we have to deal with this
emergency issue.
I want to introduce our next witness--let me see. Thank
you. Thank you.
And now, to introduce our fifth witness, I am pleased to
yield to our colleague, the distinguished gentleman from
Illinois, Congressman Rodney Davis.
Mr. Davis. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and thank you to
Ranking Member Thompson.
Just like you had great pride in introducing our mutual
friend, Zippy Duvall from your home state, I am very excited to
be able to introduce this guest, our next guest who has come
here to talk about this important issue today. Eric Hodel is
our witness here today from the Midwest Food Bank, which began
in Bloomington, Illinois. The Midwest Food Bank operations are
able to serve over 500 agency partners across 50 counties in
central and eastern Illinois, and many people in my district. I
visited the Midwest Food Bank numerous times over my career,
and I am excited to have Mr. Hodel here, grateful for the
opportunity to hear from him, and all of our witnesses today.
Mr. Chairman, I will yield back.
The Chairman. Well, thank you very much, Congressman.
And now, without delay, we are going to get started. Our
first panelist will be Mr. Kyle Waide, CEO of the Atlanta
Community Food Bank, and a great leader in this area. Mr.
Waide, you will be recognized for 5 minutes.
STATEMENT OF KYLE WAIDE, PRESIDENT AND CHIEF
EXECUTIVE OFFICER, ATLANTA COMMUNITY FOOD BANK, ATLANTA, GA
Mr. Waide. Chairman Scott, Ranking Member Thompson, and
distinguished Members of the Committee, I want to thank you for
your invitation to testify today.
The Atlanta Community Food Bank, which I am privileged to
serve as CEO, is one of the largest members of Feeding America,
the national network of food banks. Feeding America's 200
member food banks serve kids, families, and seniors in every
county in the United States, distributing 7\1/2\ billion pounds
of food through a grassroots network of community-based feeding
programs. In north Georgia, my food bank serves close to
900,000 neighbors, and we distributed 105 million pounds of
food in the past year across 29 urban, suburban, and rural
counties.
The past 12 months have been the most challenging and the
most inspiring year of our network that we have ever
experienced. In March of 2020, food insecurity rates reached
their lowest levels in 20 years. Twelve months later, these
numbers have grown by as much as 30 percent and as many as 50
million people face food insecurity, including 17 million
children. The crisis is touching people in communities of all
backgrounds, with 35 percent of the people that we are serving
today experiencing food insecurity for the first time in their
lives. Communities of color and many rural communities are
facing more severe increases in food insecurity. These
communities were more vulnerable before the pandemic, and the
crisis has intensified those vulnerabilities.
Food banks across the country have responded creatively and
aggressively to increased demand. In 2020, our network, as I
mentioned, distributed 7\1/2\ billion pounds of food, an
increase of 43 percent. Half of that food came from fresh
produce, milk, dairy, and animal proteins from our partners in
the agricultural community. Food banks are doing this by
dramatically increasing food purchasing and transportation
capacity. We are providing financial support for our network of
community-based feeding programs, many of whom operate out of
churches and depend entirely on the commitment of volunteers.
We are working with new partners, schools, business groups,
local government, to distribute food in places and to
communities where our existing partners could not meet the full
demand.
As Chairman Scott mentioned, we worked with him and other
partners last year to operate large scale drive-thru sites
where families could access testing and also receive food
assistance. These pop-up partnerships are even more critical in
rural communities where we have seen larger numbers of our
existing partners forced to close.
We couldn't have done this work, of course, without the
support from our donors, and we are deeply grateful for the
incredible support of the National Guard, which has deployed
members to support food banks in many states around the
country, including Georgia.
Federal nutrition programs have been critical to helping
food banks do our work. Food supplied by two Federal programs,
The Emergency Food Assistance Program, TEFAP, and the Farmers
to Families Food Box Program have provided food banks with
substantial volumes of food, 50 percent of our total inventory
in the Atlanta Community Food Bank since June. Sustaining our
response will be impossible without ongoing support from USDA
at similar levels. This is even more important for rural food
banks, which faced higher levels of food insecurity, fewer
private sources of food, and as a result, depend on Federal
programs for 60 to even 80 percent of their total food
inventory. We also believe a successful food box program can
become more equitable and accountable by leveraging well-
established distribution channels and high-capacity partners
for moving this food.
Support for food assistance through other nutrition
programs has also played a critical role. SNAP is the most
important of these programs, and it provides nine times the
amount of food that we provide through Feeding America food
banks. We strongly support expanding access to SNAP, which will
reduce the burden on food banks, reduce food insecurity, and
stimulate local economies, especially in more rural areas.
Looking forward, food bankers are preparing for a marathon.
While we hope for a robust recovery, we expect to face
historically high levels of food insecurity well beyond 2021.
We are prepared to work with you to meet this challenge. We
have the infrastructure, the partnerships, and the resources to
do more. But to do more, we will need your help, especially in
the form of additional funding for food. If the volume of
Federal commodities flowing to my food bank were cut in half,
we would need to double our budget to replace it, and we simply
don't have enough resources to make up that kind of difference
over the long haul. I urge the Committee, Congress, and the
Administration to keep your foot on the gas, purchase more food
through TEFAP and other USDA programs, leverage high capacity
partners like the nation's food banks to move this food safely,
efficiently, and equitably to the people and communities who
need it, sustain the expansion of SNAP benefits, use waivers
and other nutrition program flexibilities to make it easier for
food-insecure families to access food, and doing so will help
our country recover faster.
I want to again thank Chairman Scott for inviting me to
testify. We celebrate the Committee's interest in ensuring all
of our neighbors have the food they need, and I look forward to
working with you on that important goal and to answering your
questions.
Thank you.
[The prepared statement of Mr. Waide follows:]
Prepared Statement of Kyle Waide, President and Chief Executive
Officer, Atlanta Community Food Bank, Atlanta, GA
Dear Chairman Scott, Ranking Member Thompson and distinguished
Members of the Committee:
Thank you for the invitation to testify at today's hearing on A
Look at Food Insecurity in America. My name is Kyle Waide and I am the
President and CEO of the Atlanta Community Food Bank, one of the
largest food banks in the country. I am excited to share my perspective
today on the food insecurity crisis and the work we're doing to
confront it.
My food bank is part of Feeding America, the national network of
food banks. Like our sister food banks across the country, the Atlanta
Community Food Bank works to fight hunger by engaging, educating and
empowering our community. We work with a wide variety of retailers,
farmers, manufacturers, distributors, and Federal programs to secure
donated and purchased essential groceries. We distribute this food
through a large, decentralized grassroots network of more than 600
community-based feeding programs across twenty-nine urban, suburban and
rural counties in north Georgia. In 2020, we served close to 900,000 of
our Georgia neighbors, distributing more than 100 million pounds of
food through a network of partners.
Our work depends on broad community support. Feeding America food
banks are supported by millions of volunteers, who help us pack food
boxes, organize and manage food distributions, and address other client
needs. In addition to managing a food supply chain that moves 7.5
billion pounds of food in 2020, our network of food banks also provides
a variety of additional programs and services, ranging from food
pharmacies and nutrition education to job training and assistance with
applying for benefit programs. Collectively, we serve kids, families
and seniors in every county in the United States, including each of the
159 counties in Georgia.
The Feeding America network is uniquely capable of working to
reduce food insecurity. Through forty years of growing our capacity,
building public-private partnerships, responding to crises and driving
innovation, we've seen it all. And yet the past twelve months have been
the most challenging and most inspiring year our network of food
bankers has ever experienced.
Impact of the Pandemic on Food Insecurity
Prior to the pandemic, national food insecurity rates had reached
their lowest levels in 20 years. After reaching a peak following the
Great Recession, the food insecurity rate fell steadily as the economic
recovery accelerated and we reached historically low levels of
unemployment. Despite that progress, some 35 million individuals,
including nearly 11 million children, still lived in food-insecure
households. In Georgia, one in eight of our neighbors didn't always
know where their next meal would come from, including more than 400,000
children.
Based on an analysis conducted by Feeding America, we estimate that
the economic effects of COVID-19 have caused an additional 350,000
Georgians to experience food insecurity, an increase of close to 30%.
Nationally, the food-insecure population could be as high as 50
million, including nearly 17 million children. These increases suggest
that there are likely more food-insecure kids and families today than
there were at the peak of the Great Recession. Many of the people who
have fallen into food insecurity are experiencing it for the first time
in their lives, as our food pantry partners across the country report
that 35% or more of the people they're serving today had never received
charitable food prior to the pandemic.
While the pandemic has increased food insecurity far and wide,
touching people and communities of all backgrounds, we also know that
the impact has been even greater on those communities that were already
experiencing higher rates of food insecurity prior to the pandemic.
Black, Latino, and Native American/Alaskan communities were twice as
likely to face food insecurity before the pandemic and were less likely
to have health insurance. During the pandemic, these communities have
experienced higher rates of COVID-19 infection and mortality, while
also experiencing more significant increases in unemployment due to the
economic downturn. Alongside our peer food banks across the country,
the Atlanta Community Food Bank is working to enhance our core
practices in communities of color to ensure we are serving people
equitably.
Similarly, many rural communities experienced higher levels of
hunger before the pandemic, a challenge that has only intensified in
the current environment. Food insecurity rates exceed 20% in a number
of large, rural census tracts across Georgia for a variety of reasons.
With the nearest grocery store, food pantry, or food bank potentially
hours away, food deserts are more common. Job opportunities are more
concentrated in low-wage industries. Higher fixed costs to operate
impact profit margins for smaller grocery retailers, who pass on those
increased costs to their customer base. Many of these communities face
higher rates of unemployment and underemployment. The pandemic has
intensified these challenges.
Food Bank Response to the Food Insecurity Crisis
In the initial weeks and months of the pandemic, food banks faced
three significant challenges as we sought to respond to the crisis.
First, as noted above, demand for charitable food assistance grew
dramatically and suddenly. The extent of this increase has been
captured repeatedly in media images from around the country of lines of
cars stretching for miles, waiting to receive boxes and bags of
charitable food. Second, stress on the larger food supply chain reduced
our access to several key sources of food at the very moment when we
needed more food than we ever have. Third, like so many other
businesses and nonprofits, we had to quickly adapt all of our core
processes for storing, handling and distributing food in order to
reduce the risk of exposure to COVID-19 for our staff, partners,
volunteers and clients.
Food banks, our partners and our volunteers have responded
creatively and courageously to these challenges. At the Atlanta
Community Food Bank, we have grown our weekly distribution of food by
65% and now provide close to 2.5 million pounds of food a week. Nearly
60% of the food we are distributing is perishable. Similarly, in 2020,
Feeding America food banks collectively distributed 7.5 billion pounds
of food, an increase of 43% compared to 2019. This included 3.8 billion
pounds of fresh produce, milk, dairy and animal proteins, more than
half of all the food we distributed. We are providing more food to more
people more often than we ever have, significantly reducing the impact
of hunger created by the pandemic.
Fueling this growth are a variety of approaches for increasing our
capacity in light of the crisis. Food banks have dramatically increased
our food purchasing activity. In Atlanta, we are spending more than $1
million every month to buy food, and we expect to increase this number
significantly in the coming months to keep up with such high levels of
demand. Food banks have also increased our trucking capacity to support
more large mobile food distributions. In Atlanta, we are supporting 60
mobile ``pop-up'' distribution deliveries each week, in addition to the
regular orders we process, an increase of more than 50% compared to our
volume prior to the pandemic. Food banks have increased operational
staff to support higher volumes of activity. In Atlanta, our payroll
expenses are 25% higher than they were a year ago, in addition to the
increases in other operational costs related to supplies,
transportation and so forth.
Central to our effort has been the resiliency of our extraordinary
network of community-based feeding programs, many of whom depend
entirely on the commitment of volunteers to continue operating. Despite
the obvious risks to the safety of these volunteers and staff, many of
whom are seniors, the majority of these programs have continued to
serve hungry families on the front lines. Food banks across the country
have worked to support our partners financially with grants and other
support to help them stay open and grow their capacity. At the same
time, food banks have also worked closely with new partners during this
pandemic to distribute food in places and to communities where our
existing partners could not meet the full demand. My food bank has
worked closely with schools, with local government leaders, with
business groups, and with other nonprofits to host a variety of food
distributions. For example, we helped support food distribution events
with Chairman Scott and a variety of community partners last year,
where families could access food assistance and COVID testing in a
single, large-scale drive-thru site. These stand-up partnerships have
been even more critical in rural communities, where we've seen larger
numbers of our existing partners forced to close.
Food banks could not sustain this effort without the support and
partnership of the broader community. Many food banks have been unable
to utilize onsite volunteers during the pandemic. In Atlanta, we
engaged more than 600 volunteers in a typical week prior to COVID, an
addition to our workforce that has been missing since last March. Like
many food banks in multiple states, we were able to replace this
volunteer capacity with support from our Georgia National Guard, as
Governor Brian Kemp deployed more than 150 guard members to missions at
food bank locations across the state throughout the past year. And of
course our food bank network has been supported very generously by all
types of donors, giving us the resources and confidence we need to
respond aggressively to the crisis.
Role of Federal Support in Addressing Food Insecurity
The support provided by and through a variety of Federal nutrition
programs has been critical to helping food banks do our work, starting
with two programs that are providing us with large volumes of food. The
Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) is a means tested Federal
program that provides nutritious food to low income individuals through
food banks and other charitable organizations nationwide, while
supporting U.S. grown commodities. The program provides critical
support, helping us ensure a nutritious balance of food is distributed
to families in need by allowing us to combine TEFAP with our other
sources of food. As the Committee already knows, Congress authorized
more than $1 billion in additional TEFAP spending through a number of
stimulus bills over the past 12 months, dramatically increasing our
access to food resources during the crisis.
Another critical source of federally funded food has been the
Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP), commonly known as the
Farmers to Families Food Box Program. This program was launched by USDA
in April of 2020, as an effort to leverage surplus produce, dairy and
proteins to support farmers, food service distributors and families
impacted by the pandemic. Distributors are awarded contracts to
purchase the surplus food items, package them in easy to distribute
boxes ( 20 lbs each), and distribute them to people in need through a
network of nonprofits, including food banks. Almost $5 billion has been
spent on this program since its inception.
CFAP food boxes have provided a critical source of food inventory
for the Atlanta Community Food Bank and many food banks around the
country. Combined, TEFAP and CFAP have provided our food bank with 50%
of our total inventory during the crisis, an influx of food we simply
couldn't replace from any other source. Sustaining our response will be
nearly impossible without ongoing support from USDA at similar levels.
This is even more important for food banks serving more rural areas of
the country, where private sources of food are more scarce. For these
food banks, which are often serving areas with even higher levels of
food insecurity, Federal food commodities are accounting for 60% to 80%
of their total food inventory.
That said, food banks and communities have not had equitable access
to CFAP product. The food boxes have not been available in many parts
of the country, a reflection of the capacity and capabilities of the
food service distributors to whom contracts were awarded and the
nonprofits with which they chose to work. This has been particularly
true in smaller and more rural parts of the country. For example, the
distribution of food boxes in Georgia has been highly concentrated in
the metro Atlanta area, with a smaller percentage of this product
reaching other parts of the state. To remedy this imbalance, we
encourage USDA to rely more heavily on the well established
distribution methods and capabilities evident in the TEFAP program,
where food banks and other social service organizations have already
developed the relationships and capacity to move large volumes of food
safely and efficiently into the highest need areas of the country. In
contrast, with each round of contracts awarded through the CFAP model,
we are reinventing the supply chain for these products, a less
efficient, equitable and sustainable operating model. To the extent
that USDA renews the CFAP program, we recommend that USDA examine
whether more state and regional contracting with growers and producers
would better support our agricultural community most impacted by the
pandemic.
In addition to the food provided to food banks and other nonprofits
by USDA, support for food assistance through other nutrition programs
has played a critical role in response to this crisis. Our food-
insecure neighbors rely heavily on an array of Federal programs--SNAP,
school lunches, Pandemic--EBT, WIC, senior meals--to meet their
families' needs. Millions of Americans would not have the food they
need to survive without the continued strong support of Federal
nutrition programs.
SNAP is the most important of these programs and stands as the
nation's first line of defense against hunger. Feeding America food
banks will distribute between six and seven billion meals this year.
SNAP provides nine times that amount of food. Increasing, or
decreasing, SNAP benefits by 10% is equivalent to doubling, or
eliminating, access to all of the food provided through our nation's
food banks. My food bank strongly supports expanding access to SNAP.
Continuing to invest in SNAP will reduce food insecurity, improve the
health and well-being of millions of families, reduce the burden on
food banks, and continue to stimulate local economies. Alongside
investing in SNAP, we also encourage USDA to continue to grant waivers
providing flexibility to a number of nutrition programs (SFSP, NSLP,
CACFP, P-EBT) as we continue to operate in a challenging environment.
Forward-Looking Outlook
As we look forward to the rest of 2021 and beyond, food bank
leaders across the country are preparing our organizations for a
marathon. While we all hope for a robust economic recovery and a
dramatic improvement in levels of food insecurity, our experience tells
us that the families and communities impacted by the current economic
crisis face a long, uphill struggle. We expect we will need to respond
to historically high levels of food insecurity well beyond 2021.
Food banks are well positioned to meet this challenge. Our network
has made systematic, strategic investments over time to grow our
capacity and capabilities to serve more food-insecure neighbors. We
have expanded our distribution centers, especially in growing our
freezer and cooler capacity for handling more fresh and frozen food. We
have invested in trucking capacity, enabling us to move food more
efficiently across the regions we serve. We have invested in technology
systems, applying the best practices of the private sector to improve
the efficiency of our operations. We have invested in the capacity of
the community partners we supply with food, helping them add freezers
and coolers, purchase trucks, engage more volunteers, operate more
efficiently and serve more people. We have grown our fundraising,
helping us sustain our growth for the long haul. As an example of these
kinds of investments, my food bank now operates out of a 345,000\2\
distribution center with 35 dock doors and 80,000\2\ of freezer cooler
space. We manage a fleet of 25 refrigerated trucks. We have invested
millions of dollars in our partner network. Because of these
investments, we are now distributing eight times the volume of food we
distributed in 2008, prior to the Great Recession.
We have the capacity to do more. Given our expectation for the next
12 to 24 months, we will need to do more. I urge USDA to consider
working even more intensively with our national network of food banks
to safely and efficiently distribute food to the hardest to serve
communities across the country. I also urge USDA and Congress to
consider additional funding for providing food and growing the capacity
of our food bank network. Even with all of the growth in our
capabilities and resources, we cannot sustain our current distribution
efforts without Federal support. As an example, if the volume of
Federal commodities flowing to my food bank were cut in half, we would
need to spend more than $20 million to replace it. Food banks simply
don't have enough resources to make up that kind of difference.
Conclusion
Increasing levels of food insecurity is one of the many challenges
resulting from the pandemic. Families across our country are in crisis.
For many of these families, this crisis is new. For others, this crisis
is a deeper and darker chapter of the struggle they've been facing as
long as they can remember. Without support, these families will
struggle to survive today and will be less able to recover tomorrow. We
are compelled to help them.
Recovering from this crisis, as a community, will be an ongoing
challenge for all of us. Ongoing Federal investment and support will be
necessary to accelerate and sustain our recovery. This is even more
true for food-insecure families, whose recovery will be
disproportionately harder. I urge the Committee, Congress, and the
Administration to keep doing what you're doing. Keep your foot on the
gas. Sustain the expansion of SNAP benefits. Use waivers and other
nutrition program flexibilities to make it easier for food-insecure
families to access food. Purchase more food through TEFAP and other
USDA programs. Leverage high capacity partners like the nation's food
banks to move this food safely, efficiently and equitably to the people
and communities who need it. Flood the zone with access to food. Doing
so will help our families, communities and our country recover faster.
I want to again thank Chairman Scott for inviting me to testify. We
celebrate the Committee's interest in ensuring all of our neighbors
have the food they need. I look forward to working with you on that
important goal and to answering your questions.
In gratitude for your ongoing support,
[GRAPHIC NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
Kyle Waide,
President and CEO,
Atlanta Community Food Bank.
Attachment
Georgia Food Banks
[GRAPHIC NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
The Chairman. Thank you very much, Mr. Waide, and your
testimony was certainly very revealing and very well-received.
And now, our second panelist, Mr. Zippy Duvall, President
of the American Farm Bureau Federation. You are recognized for
5 minutes.
STATEMENT OF ZIPPY DUVALL, PRESIDENT, AMERICAN FARM BUREAU
FEDERATION, WASHINGTON, D.C.
Mr. Duvall. Good morning, Mr. Chairman and Members of the
Committee. My name is Zippy Duvall, and I am President of the
American Farm Bureau, but I am a third-generation farmer in
Georgia. I am pleased to be here to offer testimony on behalf
of the Farm Bureau members across the country.
When COVID-19 hit, it presented extreme hardships to
America. The farmers were left with nowhere to go with their
crops, the dairy, and the livestock due to supply chain
disruptions. We found lines at our food banks over a mile long
in some cases. Our nation's food insecurity was becoming more
apparent every day, and it was imperative that something be
done. As farmers, our mission is to feed our communities and
our country. We were heartbroken that the produce, milk, and
meat that we worked our heart and souls out to produce wasn't
reaching Americans that desperately needed it. Farmers across
the country took it into their own hands to address hunger. Our
county and State Farm Bureaus worked with churches and
community centers to help meet the need, and help we did.
In the year of 2020, I am proud to share with you that our
network of state and county Farm Bureaus across the country
donated $5.4 million, 1.4 million pounds of food, and 20,000
gallons of milk to local food banks and food pantries. But we
didn't do it all alone. At the pandemic's onset, the American
Farm Bureau immediately reached out to our friends at Feeding
America to join together to call on USDA to help address the
break down in the supply chain. Some farmers had no outlet to
sell directly to consumers, and many Americans had no access to
our local farmers. And some didn't have the financial means to
purchase the food. USDA quickly answered the call by standing
up the Farmers to Families Food Box Program, which played a
critical role in addressing hunger by delivering more than 140
million food boxes across the country.
Even in times outside of a pandemic, a strong farm policy,
the work that this Committee does, is critically important to
addressing the fight against food insecurity. The United States
is known as the bread basket of the world. As a Georgia farmer,
there is no greater honor in my book than to claim that title.
Yet food insecurity has crept into the rural communities, into
our schools, and into our neighborhoods.
To further address this need, benefits under the USDA
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program have increased to
more than $7 billion per month, 60 percent higher than pre-
pandemic levels, helping millions of Americans each day access
food.
I must tip my hat to you in Congress for making the USDA
focus on this need by including the funding in the last COVID
relief package. As those who produce the food, we feel a duty
to make sure that everyone in America is fed. The greatest joy
a farmer has is being able to share his bountiful harvest with
someone else. Across the country, we have found creative ways
to do that. In Montana, Park County Farm Bureau member Matt
Pierson started Producers Partnership in April of 2020 to
donate beef to local food banks and food pantries. What started
as one rancher's idea has now resulted in 17,500 pounds of
beef, and they have raised $65,000 to process that beef. In
Arizona, Friends of the Farm used a statewide emergency food
relief network to purchase fresh Arizona grown produce, dairy
products, and protein to distribute to Arizonians who were
struggling with hunger. Nearly 25,000 pounds of produce has
been purchased from small farms.
Mr. Chairman, I commend you on holding this hearing on such
an important topic. We look forward to the bipartisan solutions
this Committee will accomplish in fighting against food
insecurity. America's farmers and ranchers have played an
intricate role in combating food insecurity, and we will
continue to do so, pandemic or no pandemic.
Thank you for the opportunity to speak. I look forward to
answering the questions.
[The prepared statement of Mr. Duvall follows:]
Prepared Statement of Zippy Duvall, President, American Farm Bureau
Federation, Washington, D.C.
Mr. Chairman and Members of the Committee, my name is Zippy Duvall.
I am a third-generation farmer and President of the American Farm
Bureau Federation. I am pleased to offer this testimony on behalf of
Farm Bureau members across the country.
When COVID-19 hit, it presented extreme hardship for America--
farmers were left with nowhere to go with their products due to supply
chain disruptions, and we found the lines to food banks over a mile
long in some instances.
Our nation's food insecurity was becoming more apparent by the day,
and it was imperative that something be done. As farmers, we were
heartbroken that the produce, milk and meat we put our heart and soul
into producing wasn't reaching Americans who so desperately needed it.
Farmers across the country took it into their own hands to address
hunger. County and state Farm Bureaus worked with churches and
community centers to help those in need.
And help, we did! As of today, I am proud to share that through our
network of state and county Farm Bureaus across the country, we have
given $5.4 million, 1.4 million pounds of food and over 20,000 gallons
of milk to local food banks, food pantries and pandemic relief
programs.
But we did not do this alone. At the pandemic's onset, the American
Farm Bureau immediately reached out to our friends at Feeding America
to join together in calling on USDA to help address the breakdown in
our supply chain.
Some farmers had no outlet to sell directly to customers, and many
Americans had no access to local farms or financial means to purchase
food. USDA quickly answered the call by standing up the Farmers to
Families Food Box program, which played a critical role in addressing
hunger by delivering more than 140 million food boxes across the
country. Even in times outside of a pandemic, strong farm policy, the
work of this Committee, is important to assisting in the fight against
food insecurity.
The United States is known as the breadbasket of the world, and as
a Georgia farmer, there is no greater honor in my book than to claim
that title. Yet food insecurity has crept into our rural communities,
schools and neighborhoods.
To further address this need, benefits under USDA's Supplemental
Nutrition Assistance Program have increased to more than $7 billion per
month, 60% higher than pre-pandemic levels, and helping millions more
Americans each day access food. I must tip my hat to you for including
funding in the COVID relief packages.
As those who produce this food, we feel a duty to make sure
everyone in America is fed. The greatest joy for a farmer is being able
to share with others an abundant harvest. Across the country, we found
creative ways to do it.
In Montana, Park County Farm Bureau member Matt Pierson started
Producers Partnership in April of 2020 to donate beef to local food
banks and food pantries. What started as one rancher's idea has now
resulted in 17,500 pounds of beef and $65,000 raised for processing
costs.
In Maryland, our young farmers packed 5,000 meals for families in
need as part of their Outreach Program and donated them to Maryland
Food Bank community partners.
Members of Oneida County Farm Bureau in New York joined with other
groups to pass out 4,000 gallons of milk and 43,000 pounds of food to
those affected by the pandemic.
In Minnesota, 68 county Farm Bureaus held events resulting in
donations of 12,200 pounds of food, 43,000 meals and $33,700 to local
food shelves, reaching 52,250 people.
In Central California, Farm Bureau members and local organizations
came together to donate more than 400,000 meals and 1,000 volunteer
hours. And in Arizona, ``Friends of the Farm'' uses the statewide
emergency food relief network to purchase fresh, Arizona-grown produce,
dairy, and protein and distribute it to Arizonans struggling with
hunger. Nearly 250,000 pounds of produce has been purchased from small
farms.
Utah Farm Bureau also stepped up in a powerful way through their
charitable foundation's Farmers Feeding Utah campaign. In 2020, they
raised more than $400,000 in donations from individuals and businesses,
and provided more than 500,000 pounds of food to Utah residents in the
Navajo Nation, northern Utah, West Salt Lake, Ogden and to smaller
community pantries throughout the Wasatch Front.
In Texas, they do everything big and their charity work is no
exception. County Farm Bureaus in the Lone Star State donated $379,000
directly to food-relief and community organizations in 2020. Matching
funds from the state Farm Bureau of another $174,500 increased the
positive impact and the state Farm Bureau also donated $25,000 to Meals
on Wheels Waco. Altogether, county and state Farm Bureaus in Texas
donated more than a half million dollars to charities in 2020 to help
address food insecurity and keep communities strong.
I could go on and on with impressive stories of generous giving by
hundreds of county and state Farm Bureaus nationwide. I could not be
prouder to lead this organization. We are having a very real impact on
food insecurity and we're helping to meet the need within our
communities all across this great country. We are stronger together.
Mr. Chairman, I commend you for holding this hearing on such an
important topic. We look forward to the bipartisan solutions this
Committee will accomplish in the fight against food insecurity.
America's farmers and ranchers have played an integral role in
combating hunger and we will continue to do so, pandemic or not. Thank
you for the opportunity to testify before this Committee.
Mrs. Hayes [presiding.] Thank you, Mr. Duvall.
I now recognize Mr. McBrayer. Please begin when you are
ready.
Okay. We will go on to the next witness to give Mr.
McBrayer an opportunity to figure out what is going on. Mr.
Edenfield, please begin when you are ready. Mr. Edenfield?
Okay. I recognize Mr. Hodel. Mr. Hodel, if you are ready to
proceed, we will hear from you.
STATEMENT OF ERIC HODEL, CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER AND CHIEF
FINANCIAL OFFICER, MIDWEST FOOD BANK, NORMAL, IL
Mr. Hodel. Thank you and good morning. Thank you for the
invitation to participate in today's hearing. My name is Eric
Hodel, and I serve Midwest Food Bank as the Chief Operating
Officer and Chief Financial Officer. I am honored to have a
seat at the table today.
Midwest Food Bank was founded by a farmer 18 years ago. I,
too, was raised on a farm and continue to manage a 1,000 acre
grain and livestock farm, in addition to my responsibilities at
Midwest Food Bank. I come today understanding the impacts of
agriculture policy as both a producer and a servant to the
food-insecure.
Midwest Food Bank started in 2003 when our founder, David
Kieser, and his two brothers responded to a request to help in
the local newspaper. The Kieser brothers saw a community in
need and quickly turned a barn on their family farm into a
distribution site for ten local food pantries. They soon
realized that their need in the community was greater than they
anticipated. Our values and mission remain steadfast after
nearly 2 decades of growth via locations, food distributed, and
quality of service to our over 2,000 agencies.
In 2020, Midwest Food Bank distributed $383 million in
food, including three million meals via disaster relief boxes.
We have ten locations across the U.S.: Florida, Georgia,
Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Indiana, Illinois, Texas, and
Arizona, and two internationally: Kenya and Haiti. We have less
than 50 full-time employees, and 99 of every dollar is spent
for program services.
Our business model is simple. We receive donations of food,
financial support, and volunteer efforts. With these three
inputs, we deliver four programs: number one, distributing food
to nonprofit agencies; number two, providing family food boxes
as disaster relief; number three, producing Tender Mercies, a
high nutrition rice and beans meal; and number four,
distributing Hope Packs, our weekend feeding program for
school-aged children.
Our faith-based mission calls us to serve each of our 2,000
nonprofit agencies with dignity and respect. We have just two
simple requirements for our agency partners. First, that they
are registered nonprofits, and second, that they distribute the
Midwest food at no charge to their clients. Midwest Food Bank
does not receive payment for food distributed, and therefore
does not create a business model that relies on compensation
from our nonprofits.
Midwest Food Bank bridges the gap between poverty and
prosperity for the people we serve. Said differently, our hope
is to serve our food recipients for a season, not for a
lifetime.
We celebrated the downward trend in rates of food
insecurity across our nation in the decade leading up to 2020,
and then last year, all aspects of the emergency food system
were disrupted due to the pandemic. Without question, the
pandemic catapulted more families into a state of food
insecurity. Our combination of food distribution to nonprofits,
and our disaster relief equipped us to serve during this
challenging season. The USDA Farmers to Families Food Box
Program was a valuable resource for Midwest Food Bank. Midwest
Food Bank shifted our resources to be nimble and ensure each of
our locations had access to the high-quality product. We
distributed over one million boxes in 2020, and we applaud the
USDA for the quick program execution from concept to delivered
box. The program injected nutrition directly into the emergency
food system while supporting farmers and producers.
This past year, 2020, was the first year we consistently
received food funded by government programs via the USDA
Farmers to Families Food Box Program. As we grow, USDA, The
Emergency Food Assistance Program, commonly known as TEFAP, is
a viable option and we recently applied to participate in
select areas.
Moving forward, Midwest Food Bank will continue to pursue
three opportunities. Number one, mission focus: serving our
agencies with focus on efficiency and excellence. Number two,
nutrition: increasing the nutrition of the food distributed.
And number three, partnerships: strengthening our partnerships
with community leaders and agencies to advance holistic
programming for those we serve.
In closing, we ask the Committee on Agriculture to commit
to equitable policies that channel government resources to
independent food banks able to meet program requirements.
Alleviating hunger and malnutrition is a complex challenge
requiring a multi-faceted solution. We ask that you continue to
bring efficient, community-centric programs to the table for
collaboration. Together, we will sustainably bridge the gap
between poverty and prosperity for American families.
Thank you.
[The prepared statement of Mr. Hodel follows:]
Prepared Statement of Eric Hodel, Chief Operating Officer and Chief
Financial Officer, Midwest Food Bank, Normal, IL
Good morning and thank you for the invitation to participate in
today's hearing. My name is Eric Hodel, and I serve Midwest Food Bank
as the Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer. I am
honored to have a seat at the table today.
Midwest Food Bank was founded by a farmer 18 years ago. I too was
raised on a farm and continue to manage a 1,000 acre grain and
livestock farm in addition to my responsibilities at Midwest Food Bank.
I come today understanding the impacts of agriculture policy as both a
producer and a servant to the food-insecure.
Midwest Food Bank started in 2003 when our founder, David Kieser,
and his two brothers responded to a request for help in the local
newspaper. The Kieser brothers saw a community in need and quickly
turned a barn on their family farm into a distribution site for ten
local food pantries. They soon realized that the need in their
community was greater than they anticipated.
Our values and mission remain steadfast after nearly 2 decades of
growth, via locations, food distributed, and quality of service to our
2,000+ agencies. In 2020, Midwest Food Bank distributed $383M in food,
including three million meals via family food disaster relief boxes. We
have ten locations across the U.S. (FL, GA, PA, CT, IN, IL, TX, AZ) and
two internationally (Kenya and Haiti). We have less than 50 full-time
employees, and 99 cents of every dollar spent is for program services.
Our business model is simple: We receive donations of food,
financial support, and volunteer efforts. With these three inputs, we
deliver four programs: (1) Distributing food to nonprofit agencies, (2)
providing Family Food Boxes as Disaster Relief, (3) producing Tender
Mercies, a high nutrition rice & beans meal[;] and (4) distributing
Hope Packs, our weekend feeding program for school aged children.
Our faith-based mission calls us to serve each of our 2,000+
nonprofit agencies with dignity and respect. We have just two simple
requirements for our agency partners: First, that they are registered
nonprofits. Second, that they distribute the Midwest Food Bank food at
no charge to their clients.
Midwest Food Bank does not receive payment for food distributed and
therefore does not create a business model that relies on compensation
from our nonprofit partners. Midwest Food Bank bridges the gap between
poverty & prosperity for the people we serve. Said differently, our
hope is to serve our food recipients for a season, not for a lifetime.
We celebrated the downward trend in rates of food insecurity across
our nation in the decade leading up to 2020. And then, last year, all
aspects of the emergency food system were disrupted due to the
pandemic. Without question, the pandemic catapulted more families into
a state of food insecurity. Our combination of food distribution to
nonprofits and Disaster Relief equipped us to serve during this
challenging season. The USDA Farmers to Families Food Box Program was a
valuable resource for Midwest Food Bank. Midwest Food Bank shifted
resources to be nimble and ensure each of our locations had access to
the high-quality product. We distributed 1.1 million of the boxes in
2020. We applaud the USDA for the quick program execution from concept
to delivered boxes. The program injected nutrition directly into the
emergency food system--while supporting farmers and producers.
This past year, 2020, was the first year we consistently receive
food funded by government programs--via the USDA Farmers to Families
Food Box Program. As we are growing, USDA's The Emergency Food
Assistance Program, commonly known as TEFAP, is an option we are
exploring, and we recently applied to participate in Florida.
Moving forward, Midwest Food Bank will continue to pursue three
opportunities:
1. Mission Focus--Serving our agencies with focus on efficiency and
excellence.
2. Nutrition--Increasing the nutrition of the food distributed.
3. Partnerships--Strengthening our partnerships with community
leaders and agencies toadvance holistic programing for
those we serve.
In closing, we ask the Committee on Agriculture to commit to
equitable policies that channel government resources to independent
food banks able to meet program requirements. Alleviating hunger and
malnutrition is a complex challenge requiring a multi-faceted solution.
We ask that you continue to bring efficient, community-centric programs
to the table for collaboration. Together we will sustainably bridge the
gap between poverty and prosperity for more American families. Thank
You.
Attachment
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2020 Annual Report
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Bridging the Gap Between Poverty and Prosperity
Keep Moving Forward
A message from Co-Founder, President, and CEO, David Kieser
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No one could have predicted
the events of 2020. The global
COVID-19 pandemic created a
dynamic year. With the help of
volunteers, donors, staff, and
most importantly, the blessings
of God, Midwest Food Bank
responded nimbly to the
changing landscape.
All MFB locations remained
open and responsive to the need
of our nonprofit partners. We
enacted safety protocols and
reduced volunteer numbers to
maintain social distancing
guidelines. To allow partner
agencies to receive food from
MFB safe-
ly, we altered our distribution model. Community, business, and donor
support funded operations and helped with food purchases. More details
on our response to the pandemic are on page 14.
Noteworthy in 2020:
MFB distributed a record amount of food, 37% more than in
2019.
In 2020, we sent a record number of family food boxes in
Disaster Relief semi loads, nearly six times more than the
previous year.
We received record levels of support from both financial and
food donors.
While maintaining and growing our roots and existing
locations, MFB launched two new domestic divisions,
Pennsylvania and New England.
We are humbled and thankful. Moving forward, we continue to follow
the leading of the Lord as we live out our mission.
In His service,
David Kieser.
The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble; He cares for
those who trust in him.
NAHUM 1:7.
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Contents
Mission & Values
Food Insecurity
Financials
MFB Programs
MFB Reach
International Operations
Pandemic Response
Nonprofit Partners
MFB Food Sources
MFB Leadership
Produced and designed by Midwest Food Bank. Photos represent
all of 2020, including pre-pandemic protocols. Printing
courtesy of GROWMARK
Our Mission
As a faith based organization, it is the mission of Midwest Food
Bank to share the love of Christ by alleviating hunger and malnutrition
locally and throughout the world and providing disaster relief, all
without discrimination.
Our Values
Midwest Food Bank's values are built on the Biblical base of the
`fruit of the spirit'--Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness,
Faithfulness, Gentleness, Self-control. Our values give us a roadmap to
``Sharing the Blessings.''
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Serving Those In Need
We recognize and adapt to our agencies (food
pantries, schools, soup kitchens, shelters)
needs, providing them resources to help them
best solve food insecurity for individuals and
families.
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Empowering Volunteers
Our volunteers find purpose in their efforts
shared with MFB. Opportunities are made
available for any age and array of abilities.
The countless hours and expertise of our
volunteers is a unique and blessed
differentiator.
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Embracing Our Communities
We warmly welcome community members and
partners, engage with them to serve those in
need, and sincerely appreciate the joint
partnerships we have.
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Working With Integrity
Our communications and actions are always
done with honesty and transparency.
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Executing Through Teamwork
We work across all our divisions and within
our locations. We place a high priority on
collaboration, leveraging best practices for
continuous improvement of an already efficient
organization.
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Our Vision
Provide industry-leading food relief to those in need while
feeding them spiritually.
Food Insecurity
Noun
the state of being without reliable access to a sufficient
quantity of affordable, nutritious food
Food-insecure households have difficulty at some time during the
year providing enough food for all their members due to a lack of
resources. In 2020, 16 percent (50.4 million households) of U.S.
households were food-insecure (projected numbers). One in five
Americans have turned to a food pantry or community food distribution
at some point since the beginning of the pandemic.
These numbers include 17 million, or one in four children. As of
July 2020, an estimated 370 million children were missing school meals.
U.S. Food Insecurity Rate
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U.S. Food Insecurity Rate (Children Only)
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Sources: USDA (200-2019); Feeding America (2020).
How Many People in the World Are Hungry?
Globally, about 38% of the world's population goes to bed on an
empty stomach. This number is the highest in Sub-Saharan Africa and
Southeast Asia, estimated at 57% of the population.
Source: The State of Food Insecurity and Nutrition in the
World 2020.
``But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in
need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love
abide in him?''
1 John 3:17.
Food Recipients
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Ashley
Years ago, the I-58 Mission helped
Ashley when her husband was out of work
with health issues. When COVID hit, she
returned for help. She relies on them
each week for food. The I-58 Mission is
a nonprofit partner served by MFB
Georgia.
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Wendy
Wendy's husband lost his job. With a
mortgage, bills, and children to feed,
Wendy says they wouldn't have made it
without help. She gives back by
volunteering at MFB and other pantries.
Wendy receives food from The Hope
Chest, a pantry served by MFB Morton.
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Bo
A former line worker from Charleston,
WV, Bo has been retired since 2005.
He's thankful for the help he receives
from the Second Avenue Community Center
served by MFB Bloomington-Normal
through their remote distribution in
Belle, WV.
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Berlinda
Berlinda was left at an orphanage in
Haiti. In her childhood she struggled
with a speech disorder as a result of a
long convulsion. Now she speaks without
problems and is very athletic. Berlinda
was helped by Matthew 25, a nonprofit
partner served by MFB Haiti.
Our Midwest Food Bank Model
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Midwest Food Bank Growth
Value of food distributed (millions)
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Financials
Years Ending December 31, 2018, 2019 and 2020
------------------------------------------------------------------------
2018 2019 2020 *
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Public Support
and Revenue:
Donated food, $229,928,875 $270,649,371 $397,204,944
vehicles,
equipment
and services
General $7,436,910 $7,487,187 $18,427,058
public
contribution
s and grants
Special $788,242 $809,831 $864,259
events
CARES and $94,829 $67,262 $2,706,416
Other *
--------------------------------------------------------
Total $238,248,856 $279,013,656 $419,202,677
public
support
and
revenue
--------------------------------------------------------
Expenses:
Program $232,260,156 $279,505,173 $392,370,479
services
Management $1,123,151 $988,014 $1,278,165
and general
Fundraising $776,111 $854,074 $961,835
<1% 0.81% 0.66% 0.57%
Management
, General,
and
Fundraisin
g
--------------------------------------------------------
Total $234,159,418 $281,357,261 $394,610,479
Expenses
--------------------------------------------------------
Net Assets:
Food $19,606,336 $16,416,429 $33,284,514
Inventory
Cash, $15,066,135 $19,297,314 $24,333,245
buildings
(net of
debt),
equipment,
other
--------------------------------------------------------
Total net $34,672,471 $35,713,743 $57,617,759
assets
--------------------------------------------------------
With $1,600,673 $1,205,399 $750,000
donor
restrict
ions
------------------------------------------------------------------------
* Numbers above for 2018 and 2019 are from Midwest Food Bank's audited
statements. Financials represented for 2020 numbers are year-end
summaries. The Midwest Food Bank audited statements for 2020 will be
finalized and available May 30, 2021. CARES and Other in 2020 includes
revenue from CARES Act, including PPP Loan.
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Midwest Food Bank multiplies and stewards donations through
the blessings of volunteer hours and donated food.
MFB Programs
Food Pantries
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Midwest Food Bank is engaged in alleviating hunger and poverty
throughout the world. In 2020, Midwest Food Bank distributed over $383
million worth of food to over 2,000 nonprofit organizations. This is
all thanks to the generosity of our donors, the valuable work of our
volunteers and, most importantly, the blessings of God.
The COVID-19 pandemic made 2020 a unique year. With feeding
programs seeing an increase of 20-50% in need, Midwest Food Bank was
challenged to distribute more food. At the same time, supply chains
were disrupted. The first few months, in particular, food procurement
was more difficult than usual, but MFB continued to find and distribute
food.
Disaster Relief
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In a typical year, Midwest Food Bank delivers 20-50 semi loads of
Disaster Relief in concert with The Salvation Army and other partners.
These loads primarily go to locations in the Midwest or South to
victims of tornados, flooding, or hurricanes. 2020 was anything but a
typical year.
Pandemic-related quarantines and business interruptions created
wide-spread food insecurity. Across the U.S., people were seeking food
assistance for the first time. MFB sent 179 semi loads of family food
boxes to many locations (see map on page 14). Supporters of Midwest
Food Bank truly have an impact nationwide.
MFB sent over 185,000 disaster relief food boxes in 179 semi
loads.
MFB Programs
Tender Mercies
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Tender Mercies' is Midwest Food Bank's nutritious bagged
meal of rice, beans, and soy protein, making a delicious meal. It is an
integral part of fighting food insecurity in the United States. Tender
Mercies is also a mainstay of our international efforts. In East Africa
and Haiti, it is distributed to schools and orphanages to help young
children learn by providing nutrition in their diets.
In June 2020, single serving bags of Tender Mercies were
introduced. They were designed especially for Hope Packs and homebound
elderly people living alone.
Tender Mercies can be packaged by machine or by volunteers hand
measuring ingredients. COVID-19 brought a temporary halt to hand-
packing in 2020. At the same time, MFB experienced a great increase in
need for the meals.
In 2020, 11.64 million Tender Mercies meals were packaged, up from
7.22 million in 2019. 90% of the meals were produced by volunteers
operating the packing machine.
Tender Mercies Meal Production
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Hope Packs
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Hope Packs, Midwest Food Bank's student feeding program, provides
food-insecure children with supplemental weekend food. Every Friday
throughout the school year, qualifying children receive a pack of
shelf-stable food. This helps to ensure that children arrive at school
on Monday morning ready to learn.
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The pandemic caused schools to adjust their teaching model for
safety purposes. Agencies participating in the Hope Packs program were
faced with schools remote learning days. Agencies participating in Hope
Packs had to use creativity to reach food-insecure students. Many
avenues were used, including scheduling pick-up times and even
delivering food to students at home.
A child may be sponsored to receive Hope Packs for a school
year for only $50.
Midwest Food Bank Reach
In 18 years, Midwest Food Bank has grown from a small ministry on a
family farm, to ten domestic and two international locations.
Additional locations continue to be evaluated based on need and
support.
Illinois--Normal East Africa
[Est. 2003 Serving 523 [Est. 2014 Serving 40
Agencies] Agencies]
Illinois--Peoria Arizona
[Est. 2007 Serving 323 [Est. 2016 Serving 296
Agencies] Agencies]
Indiana Haiti
[Est. 2008 Serving 300 [Est. 2017 180 Tons
Agencies] Shipped to Haiti in 2019]
Georgia Texas
[Est. 2011 Serving 291 [Est. 2018 Serving 54
Agencies] Agencies]
Illinois--Morton Pennsylvania
[Est. 2012 4.43 Million TM [Est. 2020 Serving 30
Meals Packaged] Agencies]
Florida New England
[Est. 2014 Serving 171 [Est. December 2020]
Agencies]
International Operations
East Africa
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The COVID-19 pandemic caused business closures and strict lock-
downs led to mass hunger, especially in the slum areas served by Kapu
Africa (Midwest Food Bank East Africa). Working with partner
ministries, Kapu Africa was able to share Tender Mercies meals in food-
insecure slums.
A silver lining during this dark time is the great spiritual
awakening taking place. Many of these slum-dwellers are social
outcasts, shown no respect or courtesy. There are countless reports of
people weeping as they receive food, asking, ``Why are you doing this
for me?'' The gospel of Christ has been shared with many of these
people before, but now they want to know what is driving the love they
are shown.
7.2 Million Tender Mercies meals were distributed in East
Africa in 2020.
Haiti
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Haiti added the COVID-19 pandemic to its list of challenges in
2020. All airports, seaports, factories, and schools were closed for a
time.
Most Haitian children receive their primary daily nourishment from
their school lunch. MFB Haiti was able to get Tender Mercies
distributed through partnerships with faith-based schools. In 2020,
Midwest Food Bank Haiti more than doubled shipments of food to Haiti.
Over 160 tons of food relief were shipped, nearly \3/4\ of which was
Tender Mercies meals.
In Haiti, nearly 1 million Tender Mercies meals were
distributed in 2020.
We also partner with over 20 feeding centers, which provide a noon
meal to 50 children up to 5 years old. Over 1,100 children receive
these daily meals.
Volunteers
One of the key strengths of Midwest Food Bank is its volunteers.
They are the life-blood of the organization. From leading volunteer
groups to driving semi-trucks, people generously give of their time and
talents to further MFB's mission. In 2020 volunteer service hours
equaled 150 full-time employees.
The pandemic created safety challenges for MFB. Safety protocols
were put in place at each location. Volunteer groups were limited to
allow for social distancing. While we saw an increase in the amount of
food needed, fewer volunteers were able to help.
Multiple MFB locations received the invaluable assistance of the
National Guard. They filled many of the volunteer positions vital to
our operations--driving trucks and fork-lifts and helping with food
distributions. Their presence was a blessing.
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300,898 hours of service were volunteered by 17,930
individuals in 2020.
Many volunteers demonstrated their courage and dedication by
increasing their hours to meet the need. They applied their personal
talents and efforts for a return for others. Their service allowed
Midwest Food Bank to remain open and operational throughout 2020.
In 2020, There Were 450 Volunteers for Every 1 Paid MFB Staff Member
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Pandemic Response
The COVID-19 pandemic presented Midwest Food Bank with a unique
opportunity to live out our mission. Yet, responding to the needs posed
uncommon challenges.
Most states experienced work suspensions and quarantines, causing
food insecurity. Rather than sending relief to a single disaster area,
our partner, The Salvation Army, requested semi-loads of family food
boxes for all over the U.S. The first relief load was sent on March 18.
When the loads reach their destination, they are immediately
distributed to those in need.
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Procuring the contents of the boxes created other difficulties.
Initially, it was a challenge to have items shipped. The increased need
for shelf-stable food depleted our supplies of donated food. Leveraging
our relationships with food manufacturers, Midwest Food Bank purchased
some products to go into the relief boxes.
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``I live out here in Sassoon City,
California. But I wanted to say thank
you. I really. really, really
appreciate what you are doing. It helps
out more than you could ever know. I am
a single father of an 8 year old
daughter. I greatly appreciate what you
do. Thank you. I wanted to say thank
you. We greatly, greatly appreciate it.
You are amazing. Thank you. This kind
of thing is really helpful. Thank you.
Thank you and God bless. Thank you.''
Voicemail transcript MFB received from Tim, grateful recipient of a
Family Food Box.
Nonprofit Partners
Midwest Food Bank's nonprofit partners must be 501(c)(3) charities.
They agree to give away the food received from MFB free of charge.
Types of agencies include:
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Food pantries
Soup kitchens
Homeless shelters
Residential programs
Children feeding programs
In addition to the many ways the COVID-19 crisis affected Midwest
Food Bank, our partner agencies also faced new challenges. Those that
remained open had to alter their distribution methods. Human contact
was limited as food was distributed. Our partners saw a 20-50% increase
in the need for their services.
MFB Served over 2,000 nonprofit partners in 2020.
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``During a time like this, when it's
a crisis throughout the world, we are
grateful for the support we get from
Midwest Food Bank.''
Matt Burgess,
CEO of Home Sweet Home Ministries, Bloomington, IL.
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A semi-load of relief arrives at the Navajo Nation, served by
Helping Hands for the Navajo Nation, a partner agency of
Midwest Food Bank Arizona.
MFB Food Sources
We receive donated food from all over the country--food produced in
excess, incorrect labeling, and more. Donated food comes from various
sources:
Food manufacturers
Food distribution centers
USDA programs
Grocery stores
Private food drives
MFB Recipient of USDA Program
In May, Midwest Food Bank began participating in the new USDA
Farmers to Families Food Box program. It was created to help both food
producers and those struggling with food insecurity as a result of
COVID-19. With funding provided by the USDA, food distributors bought
produce, protein, and dairy products directly from farmer and
producers. The distributors boxed the food items and gave them directly
to participating charities.
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MFB distributed over $52 Million worth of nutritious
produce, protein, and dairy products in the USDA
program.
% Dairy, Produce, and Protein
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MFB gave away nearly 1.1 million cases of the USDA Farmer[s]
to Famil[ies] program food.
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5% of MFB donations come from Share Partners
Week by week, month by month, Midwest Food Bank is sharing the
blessings with those in need. With this same recurring cadence, MFB
Share Partners make faithful financial contributions that bring our
mission to life. Share Partners are generous donors who are giving
funds on a regularly scheduled basis.
For people who wish to make a continual, positive impact, Share
Partners makes it easy. Each week, month, or quarter, donors can make
an automatic donation directly from a checking account, a debit or
credit card.
Convenience of recurring giving
Easy enrollment
Donor selects timing
Select weekly, monthly, or quarterly
Donor directs giving
Choose to support a specific MFB location
To become a Share Partner, please go to midwestfoodbank.org/
sharepartner
Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the first fruits of all
your crops
Proverbs 3:9.
Midwest Food Bank Leads the Food Relief Industry in Low Administrative
Costs
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Sources: 2019 IRS Form 990.
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Charity Navigator, America's premier
independent charity evaluator, has awarded four
out of a possible four stars to Midwest Food
Bank
the last 9 years. Only 4% of nonprofits have achieved at least 8
consecutive years of Four Star Charity status.
The Forbes 21st annual list of top 100 charities is based on
donations received. For 2020, Midwest Food Bank moved up to number 57.
The charities on the list are rated for ``Charitable Commitment,''
based on how much of a charity's total expense went to the purpose.
Midwest Food Bank's rating is 100 out of 100.
National Board Members
David Kieser, President Ann Kafer
David founded MFB in 2003 with Ann is the Vice-President of
his brothers. He serves as CEO, Human Resources and Strategy at
and Board President. Growmark, Inc.
Bill Leman, Vice-President Denny Mott
Bill is owner and CEO of Leman Dennis is a retired Business
Property Management. Manager from Caterpillar, Inc.
Dave Hodel, Secretary/Treasurer Trent Scholl
Dave is a partner in Darnall Trent is a principal partner at
Concrete. Ledgestone & Associates, LLC.
Ralph Endress Eric Sheldahl
Ralph is the retired owner and Eric is a commercial and
CEO of Young America Realty Inc. residential real estate
entrepreneur.
Jim Gapinski
Jim is owner and CEO of
Heartland Growers.
Functional Leadership
Eric Hodel, COO/CFO Michael Meece, Human Resources
Director
Lisa Martin, Information Technology Michael Hoffman, Inventory &
Director Logistics Director
Brian Zink, Procurement Director Dana Williamson, Accounting
Director
Jada Hoerr, Chief Development
Officer
Divisional Leadership
Arizona Indiana
Merilee Baptiste, Executive John Whitaker, Executive Director
Director
Eric Sheldahl, Divisional Board Jim Gapinski, Divisional Board
President President
Florida New England
Karl Steidinger, Executive Director Jan Young, Executive Director
Stanley Sinn, Divisional Board Brent Walder, Divisional Board
President President
Georgia Pennsylvania
Will Garner, Executive Director Lori Renne, Executive Director
Jim Roy, Divisional Board President Aleta Serrano, Divisional Board
President
Illinois--Bloomington--Normal Texas
Tara Ingham, Executive Director David Emerson, Executive Director
Chris Stoffer, Divisional Board Rich Stoller, Divisional Board
President President
Illinois--Morton East Africa
Lisa Martin, Executive Director Christine Mutsoli, Executive
Director
Trent Scholl, Divisional Board Denny Mott, Divisional Board
President President
Illinois--Peoria Haiti
Monica Scheuer, Executive Director Jerry Koehl, Divisional Board
President
Frank Gutwein, Divisional Board
President
How Can You Help?
1 Pray for Midwest Food Bank
It is our hope to show Christ's love in our actions.
2 Volunteer
Bring your gifts and talents to further MFB's mission. Consider
becoming a lead volunteer, facilitating groups.
3 Follow us on social media
Tag us in your Facebook and Instagram posts.
Check our blog and newsletter for updates.
4 Connect your friends and family to MFB
Your church or civic group would enjoy a volunteer service project.
5 Give
We strive to be good stewards of funds entrusted to us. Consider a
monthly gift as a Share Partner.
midwestfoodbank.org
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Mrs. Hayes. Thank you, Mr. Hodel.
I now recognize Mr. Edenfield. Mr. Edenfield, if you are
ready, please begin your testimony. I think you are muted.
Okay, we will go to Mr. McBrayer. Mr. McBrayer, if you are
ready, please begin your testimony.
STATEMENT OF MAX E. McBRAYER, Jr., CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER,
RaceTrac PETROLEUM, INC., ATLANTA, GA
Mr. McBrayer. Hello, this is Max McBrayer. Chairman Scott,
Ranking Member Thompson, and Members of the Committee, my name
is Max McBrayer and I am Chief Executive Officer of RaceTrac.
Thank you for inviting me to share what RaceTrac is doing to
combat food insecurity in America.
Headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, RaceTrac is a family-
owned business that has been serving guests since 1934.
RaceTrac, together with its franchise brand, RaceWay, operates
over 750 convenience stores across 11 states, employing nearly
10,000 people. Almost all of our stores that redeem SNAP are
open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and nearly 20 percent of
them are in rural communities. Over 10 years ago, in response
to changing customer demand, we embarked on a journey to
provide more healthy, fresh, and perishable food products to
our guests. Today, all of our locations have robust, diverse
food service operations. Food is increasingly our biggest
customer draw.
RaceTrac now sells over 12,000 pieces of fresh fruit a
week, and in 2020, sold almost 800,000 bottles of milk, and
close to a half million fresh sandwiches. Ten years ago,
RaceTrac also began to participate in SNAP. Today, all RaceTrac
stores and 98 percent of RaceWay stores redeem SNAP benefits.
At RaceTrac stores alone, we process three million EBT
transactions per year.
Our stores have been designated critical infrastructure by
the Federal Government, and have remained open throughout this
pandemic, providing food and fuel to the public. COVID-19 has
exacerbated food insecurity in the United States. At RaceTrac,
we have seen this impact firsthand.
RaceTrac has seen a 65 percent increase in EBT dollars used
at our stores. RaceWay stores, which tend to be located in more
rural communities, have seen a 102 percent increase. Guests are
constantly coming into our stores and asking if we accept EBT
dollars. Not only are we seeing an overall increase in SNAP
purchases among adults, including homeless adults, we have seen
an increase among students who will use EBT before and after
school to purchase snacks or lunch.
RaceTrac's participation in SNAP is critical because it
enables beneficiaries to conveniently access approximately
1,700 competitively priced EBT-eligible products. Low-income
Americans often work and shop for food during unconventional
hours. Our stores are often the only easily accessible retail
food store located in that particular area, and our stores are
open during extended hours when other larger food retailers are
closed. For that reason, having RaceTrac and other small format
stores participate in the program benefits many SNAP recipients
who save time and resources by not having to travel
inconvenient distances from where they live or work to purchase
milk and bread.
Congress created SNAP to alleviate hunger and malnutrition.
To maximize beneficiaries' access to food, lawmakers
intentionally designed the program to ensure that both large
and small retailers can participate. This approach has been
successful. RaceTrac and other small format retailers serve an
important role in SNAP. We provide convenient locations for
SNAP beneficiaries to access affordable food at any time they
wish, day or night.
No American should go hungry. I hope we can continue to
work together to fulfill the program's goal. Our industry's
unique format and business model has been and should continue
to be a meaningful asset in the government's effort to combat
hunger in the United States. We hope to remain active partners
in SNAP in order to provide essential food access to the
thousands of people in our communities who have come to rely on
us.
Thank you for the opportunity to testify. I am happy to
answer any questions you may have.
[The prepared statement of Mr. McBrayer follows:]
Prepared Statement of Max E. McBrayer, Jr., Chief Executive Officer,
RaceTrac Petroleum, Inc., Atlanta, GA
I. Summary of the Testimony
RaceTrac, together with its franchise-brand RaceWay,
operates over 750 convenience stores across 11 southeastern
states and employs nearly 10,000 team members. All of
RaceTrac's stores, and 98 percent of RaceWay stores are
licensed under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program
(``SNAP'' or the ``Program'') and accept Electronic Benefit
Transfer (``EBT'') purchases.
Our stores, the vast majority of which are open 24 hours a
day, 7 days a week, contribute to a variety of communities
throughout the southeast United States. Almost 20 percent of
our stores are in towns of 2,500 to 20,000 people. All of our
stores have robust, diverse food-service operations that are
increasingly our biggest customer draw.
COVID-19 has exacerbated what was already an unacceptable
situation with respect to food insecurity in the United States.
At RaceTrac, we have seen this impact firsthand. Our stores,
which the Federal Government designated as critical
infrastructure, have remained open throughout this pandemic,
providing food and fuel to the public.
Over the past year, our store teams have seen a notable
increase in SNAP purchases. In fact, the percent of EBT
transactions at our stores has almost doubled over the past
year. RaceTrac has seen a 65% increase in EBT dollars used at
our stores. RaceWay stores, which tend to be located in more
rural communities, have seen a 102% increase.
RaceTrac's participation in SNAP is critical because it
enables beneficiaries to access food without excessive
inconvenience or expense. Low-income Americans often work--and
shop for food--during unconventional hours. Our stores are
often the only easily accessible retail food store located in a
particular area, and are consistently open longer than other
large-format food retailers and thus provide extended hours
during which customers can access food.
II. Introduction
Chairman Scott, Ranking Member Thompson, and Members of the
Committee, thank you for the opportunity to testify this morning. My
name is Max McBrayer, and I am the Chief Executive Officer for RaceTrac
Petroleum, Inc. (``RaceTrac'').\1\ Today I will share what RaceTrac is
doing to combat food insecurity in America. RaceTrac and the entire
convenience store industry places a growing importance on food service
relative to even 10 or 15 years ago. Our industry's unique format and
business model has been, and should continue to be, a meaningful asset
in the Federal Government's effort to combat food insecurity in the
United States. My testimony today will outline our experience as
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (``SNAP'' or the ``Program'')
retailers, and offer some suggestions for how the Federal Government
can continue to harness companies like ours in its efforts to provide
affordable, convenient access to food for America's most vulnerable
citizens.
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\1\ RaceTrac is a member of the National Association of Convenience
Stores (NACS), the National Association of Truckstop Operators (NATSO),
and the Society of Independent Gasoline Marketers of America (SIGMA).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, RaceTrac is a family-owned
business that has been serving guests since 1934.RaceTrac, together
with its franchise-brand RaceWay, operates over 750 convenience stores
and employs nearly 10,000 team members. Our stores, the vast majority
of which are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, contribute to a
variety of communities throughout the southeast United States. Almost
20 percent of our stores are in towns of 2,500 to 20,000 people. All of
these locations have robust, diverse food-service operations that are
increasingly our biggest customer draw. All of RaceTrac's stores and 98
percent of RaceWay stores redeem SNAP benefits.
The past year has been a struggle for Americans and their families,
particularly with respect to food insecurity. Our presence in rural,
suburban, and urban areas throughout the Southeast gives us a unique
vantage point through which to understand the critical role that
convenience stores and other small format retailers play in providing
food to low-income families through SNAP.
For SNAP beneficiaries, RaceTrac's stores serve as critical
locations to access food. Not only do we provide beneficiaries with a
variety of competitively priced, SNAP-eligible foods, we provide them
access to those foods during extended hours, when other food retailers
are closed. For that reason, RaceTrac's participation in the Program
benefits many SNAP recipients, who save time and resources by not
having to travel inconvenient distances from where they live or work to
purchase milk and bread.
Over the past year, the percent of SNAP transactions at our stores
has doubled--and we have seen a 65% increase in EBT dollars used at
RaceTrac stores and a 102% increase at RaceWay stores. No American
should go hungry. We hope to remain active partners in SNAP in order to
provide essential food access to the thousands of people in our
communities who have come to rely on us.
a. About RaceTrac
RaceTrac is composed of two operating divisions: \2\ RaceTrac and
RaceWay. RaceTrac operates 549 RaceTrac-branded retail fuel and
convenience stores across seven southern states: Alabama, Florida,
Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Texas; and owns more
than 200 contractor-operated RaceWay-branded stores across 11 states:
Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North
Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia.\3\ RaceTrac
employs nearly 10,000 individuals across its divisions and
subsidiaries.
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\2\ RaceTrac also has two subsidiaries: Energy Dispatch and
Metroplex Energy. Our transportation company, Energy Dispatch, hauls
fuel for RaceTrac and RaceWay, and employs more than 230 drivers and
operates 88 tractor-trailers out of six states (Alabama, Florida,
Georgia, Louisiana, Tennessee, Texas). Energy Dispatch delivers more
than 1.2 billion gallons of fuel each year. Our wholesale fuel
supplying company, Metroplex Energy, secures bulk fuel to supply
RaceTrac and RaceWay stores and other third-party companies by rail,
pipeline, truck, barge and vessel across 13 states (Alabama, Arkansas,
Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina,
Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia). Metroplex
Energy sells about 4.8 billion gallons of fuel annually.
\3\ Of the current group of RaceWay franchise operators, 71%
identify as Desi (i.e., a person of Indian, Pakistani, or Bangladeshi
descent), 18% identify as Arab (i.e., a person of Middle Eastern or
North African descent), and 10% identify as ``other''.
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Every day, RaceTrac operates under its mission to ``make people's
lives simpler and more enjoyable''--and for that reason, the company
has been named a top workplace across many of the states in which it
operates, and has been recognized on the Forbes list of largest private
companies every year since 1998.
Since 2015, RaceTrac has built an average of 40 new stores
annually, investing about $225 million each year across our footprint.
We plan to invest another $300 million to build 31 new stores in 2021,
which will lead to expanded employment opportunities as each of our
stores employs approximately 20-22 people. The company has also
invested over $33 million in alternative fuels infrastructure. To
further support the communities in which it operates, since 2010
RaceTrac has raised over $5.6 million for several charities, including
the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's research, Camp Sunshine
(a retreat for children with life-threatening illnesses), Second
Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee, and the Boys & Girls Club
Florida Alliance.
b. RaceTrac has proudly been participating in SNAP for a decade
Our participation in SNAP is critical because it enables SNAP
beneficiaries to access food without excessive inconvenience or
expense. The Program is designed to make life easier for approximately
43 million low-income Americans, including 18.9 million children,\4\
and our stores play a critical role in accomplishing this objective.
All of RaceTrac's 549 stores and 200 RaceWay stores accept SNAP
benefits. RaceTrac's stores process roughly three million EBT
transactions per year.\5\ Throughout the Southeast, our stores are
convenient places for SNAP beneficiaries to access food. Many low-
income Americans often work--and shop for food--during unconventional
hours. Not only are our stores often the only easily accessible retail
food store located in a particular area, they are consistently open
longer than other large-format food retailers and thus provide extended
hours during which customers can shop for food.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\4\ See generally, U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, Characteristics of
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Households: FY 2018 (Nov.
2019), https://fns-prod.azureedge.net/sites/default/files/resource-
files/Characteristics2018-Summary.pdf; U.S. Dept. of Agriculture,
Program Information Report (Sept. 2020), https://fns-
prod.azureedge.net/sites/default/files/data-files/Keydata-September-
2020.pdf.
\5\ This number does not include EBT transactions at RaceWay-
branded stores.
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Almost all RaceTrac stores and 111 RaceWay stores are open 24 hours
per day, 7 days a week; \6\ and 93 RaceWay stores are typically open
from 5 a.m. to 11 p.m. Our continuous and extended hours ensure that
customers are always able to access our stores to purchase the food,
including approximately 1,700 SNAP-eligible items, they need at any
time. In rural and urban communities, our stores may be the only place
for the community to shop conveniently for common food items and the
only location where a SNAP beneficiary can make an EBT purchase.
Because of our extended hours, our stores may also be the only location
for consumers to purchase food with SNAP benefits at the beginning or
end of a late work shift. One store team member put it best: ``My store
is in a low income area where our guests do not have reliable
transportation. We are their store for supplies and food. Guests choose
us for the accessibility and price.'' \7\
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\6\ Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, to ensure the health and
safety of our customers and store teams, we now close our stores for 1
hour each night to perform a deep clean/disinfect of the store.
\7\ Another employee noted: ``We do have several EBT guests that we
consider to be our regular guests. Whether it's a landscape worker
stopping in for lunch or a homeless guest without transportation.''
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
c. RaceTrac's Initiatives to Expand Fresh and Healthy Food Offerings
RaceTrac has been at the vanguard of the convenience store industry
when it comes to providing fresh and healthy food selections for our
guests. In everything we do and offer, we are driven by consumer
demand--and just like all successful retailers, we constantly try to
identify and respond to what our customers want.\8\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\8\ The entrepreneurial culture of RaceWay and its operators has
resulted in store-specific food service offerings that are tailored to
meet the tastes of a particular community. For instance, RaceWay
operators have put in place chicken, BBQ and Tex-Mex offerings, in
addition to stocking staple food items targeted to food preferences of
certain ethnic groups in the communities where they operate.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Over 10 years ago, RaceTrac embarked on a journey to provide more
fresh and perishable products to our guests. This shift was neither
easy nor inexpensive, requiring a significant change to our store
format and operating procedures. We redesigned our approximately 5,000
square foot stores, which are nine times smaller than the average
supermarket and have limited refrigerated and freezer space, to
accommodate an expanded food offering that would appeal to our guests'
changing tastes.
There are many challenges that small format retailers face in
providing perishable and fresh foods, generally related to spoilage and
food-safety protocols.\9\ To address those challenges and secure a
consistent and trusted source for our fresh food programs, we had to
create our own internal distribution program, RaceTrac Distributing
(``RTD''). And because we don't run our own commissary, we had to
institute and manage a commissary relationship in order to develop and
oversee a system to assemble and distribute product to our warehouses,
stores, and ultimately, consumers. Food safety protocols were embedded
in every step of this process. Throughout our entire supply chain (RTD
and wholesale partners), we have a rigorous food supplier vetting
process, robust ingredient traceability, and end-to-end tracking and
management of our cold chain, all to guarantee the safety of our
offerings.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\9\ Unlike a grocery store, which may get daily food deliveries,
small-format stores like RaceTrac and RaceWay only get deliveries a few
times a week--in our case, approximately three times per week.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
There has been a steady increase in customer demand for healthy
staples over the past few years--and RaceTrac has strived to meet that
demand. We offer an assortment of fresh whole fruits, cut fruit, and
packaged salads; dairy products, including milk, cheeses, and fresh
yogurt parfaits; breads, pasta bowls, and cereals; as well as
hardboiled egg packs, ``protein packs'' with fresh nuts, cheeses,
fruits, and meats, and fresh sandwiches. RaceTrac now sells over 12,000
pieces of fresh fruit per week--and in 2020, sold almost 800,000
bottles of milk and over 410,000 fresh sandwiches.
d. Our Stores Are Essential for Food Access
``To alleviate hunger and malnutrition,'' Congress created the
Program and strategically designed it to ensure the participation of
both large and small format retailers as a means of maximizing
beneficiaries' access to food.\10\ Small-format convenience stores and
large-format grocery stores serve different beneficial purposes in the
Program. Convenience stores tend to supplement the traditional grocery
store with respect to food access. Many SNAP beneficiaries come to
RaceTrac to conveniently purchase items such as bread and milk in
between trips to the grocery store. Small-format stores like ours
provide convenience--both in terms of location and hours of operation--
as well as competitively priced food to all consumers, including SNAP
beneficiaries. We constantly endeavor to provide convenience, value,
and quality to American consumers on the go. In short, we strive to
make the lives of all of our customers, including low-income consumers,
simpler and more enjoyable.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\10\ See e.g., 7 U.S.C. 2011, 2012(o), 2018 (discussing food
access and retailer eligibility).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Despite our best efforts to provide fresh, competitively-priced
food products, COVID-19 has imposed significant challenges. In addition
to increased health and safety protocols that were layered on top of
existing food-safety protocols, we had to contend with sporadic supply
disruptions and food shortages. We were able to overcome these supply
disruptions and we continue to work diligently with our suppliers to
minimize disruption for our customers, who have come to rely on our
stores as an essential component to their monthly food shopping
routine.
RaceTrac stores are open 24 hours per day, 7 days per week, rain or
shine. They are open during normal times and during emergencies. While
COVID-19 has been a historic national emergency, it is not the first
time that our stores have kept their doors open during times of
national or regional hardship. For over 80 years, our stores have
stayed open during national disasters, including hurricanes and other
extreme weather events. In the words of one frontline team member,
``during disaster times like hurricanes, we are the only thing open.
It's great we can help and provide the needed items to our guests in
their time of need.''
Throughout national disasters, we do whatever it takes to keep our
doors open, providing communities with places to refuel their vehicles
and purchase basic necessities. This includes the ability to purchase
hot foods when cooking at home is infeasible. During those times, we
have seamlessly adjusted our EBT operations to effectuate Federal hot
food waivers to ensure our most economically vulnerable guests have the
ability to eat. (For many of our SNAP guests, there has been confusion
as to why hot foods waivers were not granted during the worst of the
pandemic shutdown when people were struggling to get by without
childcare and other support.)
III. Food Insecurity and COVID-19--A Retailer's Perspective
Regrettably, hunger and food insecurity are a persistent presence
in our country. In 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic, approximately
35.2 million Americans, including 5.3 million children, were food-
insecure. This equates to more than one in ten American households.\11\
COVID-19 has exacerbated what was already an unacceptable situation; at
RaceTrac, we have seen this impact firsthand.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\11\ Economic Research Service, U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, Food
Security Status of U.S. Households in 2019, https://www.ers.usda.gov/
topics/food-nutrition-assistance/food-security-in-the-us/key-
statistics-graphics.aspx.
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Designated as critical infrastructure by the Department of Homeland
Security,\12\ RaceTrac's stores have remained open throughout this
pandemic, providing food and fuel to the public. Our frontline team
members have shown up, day after day, complying with stringent health
and safety protocols to ensure that healthcare workers, first
responders, and everyday people can refuel, whether that be with a cup
of coffee and a sandwich or with a gallon of gas. This availability and
accessibility has been particularly important to the food-insecure
during the pandemic. As one store team member described: ``During
COVID, guests could count on us to be there, open, and be in stock.''
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\12\ ``Food & Agriculture,'' which includes the convenience
industry, was classified by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS)
as a Critical Infrastructure Sector in its August 18, 2020, Guidance.
See Department of Homeland Security, Cybersecurity & Infrastructure
Security Agency, ``Advisory Memorandum on Ensuring Essential Critical
Infrastructure Workers Ability to Work During the COVID-19 Response,''
(Aug. 18, 2020) available at https://www.cisa.gov/sites/default/files/
publications/Version_4.0_CISA_Guidance_on_Essential_Critical_Infrastruc
ture_Workers_FINAL%20AUG%2018v3.pdf.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
For the past year, store team members have seen a notable increase
in EBT purchases. According to one of our frontline employees, ``many
low-income working households shop with us for affordable breakfast,
lunch, dinner, or snack items. EBT sales have also increased due to the
state offering more assistance and increasing benefits for lower-income
households.'' Per a different store team member: ``unemployment
increases and with poverty and the homeless population levels growing,
many of them shop with us because of the selection and value.'' Another
highlighted: ``when guests enter the door, they constantly are asking
do we take EBT. We have seen an increase with students as well. Kids
will use EBT before or after the school day to purchase a snack or
lunch.'' \13\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\13\ These anecdotes are bolstered by the available data regarding
the impact of COVID-19 on food insecurity. See FRAC, Not Enough to Eat:
COVID-19 Deepens America's Hunger Crisis (Sept. 2020), (finding that
``about one in four adults are estimated to be food-insecure during
COVID-19''); Urban Institute, Forty Percent of Black and Hispanic
Parents of School-Age Children are Food Insecure (Dec. 2020), https://
www.urban.org/sites/default/files/publication/103335/
forty_percent_of_black_and_hispanic_parents_of_school_age_children_are_f
ood_insecure_
0.pdf (finding that ``one in four (24.7 percent) families with school-
age children reported household food insecurity in September; this rate
rose to over one in three (36.9 percent) among families in which
someone lost work or work-related income at some point during the
pandemic.'').
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
RaceTrac's store teams have seen a two-fold increase in EBT
purchases over the past year. They have served customers with large
baskets, and have watched as the guest monitors the total on the
register as they ring them up, in order to add in as many items as
possible under their available benefits. They have also served guests
who stop in quickly to make an EBT purchase and then dash out to work.
Our data confirms what our store teams have been seeing with their own
eyes: before COVID (2019 and early 2020), EBT accounted for around 0.7-
1.0% of our total transactions; since March 2020 this has nearly
doubled to 1.2-1.6% of total transactions. Moreover, RaceTrac stores
have seen a 65% increase in EBT dollars used and RaceWay stores, which
tend to be located in more rural communities, have seen a 102% increase
in EBT dollars used. It is clear to all of us at RaceTrac that in 2020
many of our guests have been struggling to make ends meet, and are
experiencing food insecurity. Congress's 15 percent increase of SNAP
benefits has been critical to ensuring that our most economically
vulnerable citizens have access to the food they need. In addition, P-
EBT has been important in ensuring that eligible school children are
able to access food via temporary emergency EBT benefits while their
schools are closed or operating with reduced hours.
IV. Conclusion
RaceTrac takes its role in the Program seriously. Small-format
stores like ours serve an important role in SNAP: we provide convenient
locations for SNAP beneficiaries to access affordable food at any time
they wish to, day or night. I hope we can continue to work together to
fulfill the Program's goal to alleviate hunger and food-insecurity
across the country.
Thank you for the opportunity to testify, I am happy to answer any
questions you may have.
Mrs. Hayes. Thank you, Mr. McBrayer.
I now recognize Mr. Edenfield. When you are ready, you may
begin your testimony now.
Mr. Johnson. While we wait, Madam Chair, I might just note
to my colleagues they have 5 more minutes to vote, if they
haven't done so yet.
STATEMENT OF RON EDENFIELD, PRESIDENT AND CHIEF
EXECUTIVE OFFICER, WAYFIELD FOODS, INC., LITHIA SPRINGS, GA
Mr. Edenfield. [inaudible] two for one fresh SNAP produce
purchase program with the assistance of a Food Insecurity
Nutrition Incentive grant knowledge, FINI, 2018 to 2019. We see
the importance of these programs to our customers when they are
going through difficult times.
Since the pandemic hit, I have never been prouder of our
500+ associates dedicated to serving our community. When
Georgia's Department of Labor became overwhelmed with
unemployment claims, we heard horror stories from our customers
who went months before they received any benefits. Many are
still facing this challenge, but for those individuals SNAP has
been a lifeline for getting food on the table and the emergency
allotments that increase benefits to a maximum were and are
critically important.
When the schools in Atlanta closed due to the pandemic,
many customers had to quit their jobs to care for their
children. Feeding their children became a real struggle for
those who rely on free and reduced-price school meals.
Thankfully, the Families First Coronavirus Response Act of 2020
that you passed allowed USDA's Food and Nutrition Service to
facilitate the distribution of pandemic EBT to families
affected by school closures.
Georgia families received their one-time allotment of
$256.50 in P-EBT benefits per child, based on a calculation of
$5.07 per day for the 45 days the child missed last year.
Unfortunately, there have been no P-EBT benefits issued for
this school year, though we are now 7 months into the year.
Pilot P-EBT program is not under the jurisdiction of this
Committee. I encourage you to work with the House Education and
Labor Committee to examine this program and its challenges. The
model is a good one; the delay is inexcusable. I would
encourage this Committee to consider P-EBT model for summer
feeding programs that are under your jurisdiction as well.
I also want to comment on the food boxes that were
delivered to supplement families in tremendous need. I know,
without a doubt, that the existing food partnership that
distribute funds through an EBT card or through food banks are
far more efficient and give parents the opportunity to shop at
their convenience and to purchase the best food for their
children. Just imagine the frustration of a parent who receives
a food box containing peanut butter with a child with a peanut
allergy.
Our grocery saw increased sales. We were confronted with a
significant number of costs to keep our associates and our
customers safe. The national data the FMI, the Food Industry
Association has collected for more than 40 years finds that the
supermarket industry profit margin has never hit two percent.
Perhaps the industry may hit two percent margin this year, but
for my associates and for many other retailers, that profit
goes back to them through our employee stock ownership plan.
In spite of these increased costs, I am proud to say that
the food retail industry continues to be the largest private-
sector donor to Feeding America. According to their 2020 annual
report, food retailers donated more than 1.5 billion meals to
the Feeding America network last year.
Although your Committee does not have jurisdiction over the
WIC Program, I did want to share my frustration that Georgia
has still not transitioned to eWIC. Although every state was
mandated to transition to eWIC by October 2020, Georgia
received a waiver to extend their timeline. We are now hearing
it could be another year before Georgia is ready to launch
eWIC.
When we talk about food insecurity, we recognize that SNAP
is an important stabilizer for low-income families. It is also
a powerful economic stimulator for the local economies.
In conclusion, addressing an issue as complex as food
insecurity requires all of us to work together. Wayfield Foods
will continue to work with our partners to increase access to
quality food in our communities and are pleased to see the
result of this work in healthier customers. I may be biased,
but the House Agriculture Committee has the right person
leading this important work at this critical time.
I would be pleased to answer any questions you have. Thank
you.
[The prepared statement of Mr. Edenfield follows:]
Prepared Statement of Ron Edenfield, President and Chief Executive
Officer, Wayfield Foods, Inc., Lithia Springs, GA
Chairman Scott, Ranking Member Thompson, and Members of the
Committee:
My name is Ron Edenfield and I am President of Wayfield Foods, a
nine-store independent grocer with stores across the metro-Atlanta
area. Wayfield Foods is an authorized retailer in the Supplemental
Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and also in the Special,
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program for Women, Infants and
Children (WIC).
As a WIC and SNAP-authorized grocer for 39 years, I appreciate the
opportunity to come before this distinguished Committee to share my
views on food insecurity and how the many assistance programs you
oversee have been a lifeline to my customers, particularly during the
pandemic.
Wayfield Foods has been a part of metro-Atlanta since 1982. My goal
was to bring a full-service grocery store to communities that were
being all but abandoned by other retailers. Most of our stores are
located in low-income census tract areas. Without the arrival of our
stores, these communities would be considered food deserts. We work,
live and deeply engage in these communities that now have access to a
reliable, economical source of fresh produce and meats. Our customers
deserve to eat better for less, like any other community in America.
This is our mission, and we have devoted our brand to reflect this
commitment. Almost 40 years later, we are proud of the many ways we
have become part of the community, providing jobs for over 500
associates.
Since the pandemic hit, I have never been prouder of our
associates' dedication to serving our community. I know all of you
experienced occasional empty shelves as customers literally rushed to
get the last pack of hamburger meat or the last roll of toilet paper
during some of the early days of the pandemic. Our dedicated essential
employees came to work every day, even working overtime to take care of
our customers, and we quickly got products back on the shelves.
As an essential industry, our stores never closed during the
pandemic. Unfortunately, many of my customers have not been so lucky.
Many have lost jobs or had their hours reduced. We have had Wayfield
employees startled by the community need and reached into their own
pockets to give a customer a few dollars when they could not pay their
bill at check-out. Wayfield Foods has never wavered in our support of
local food pantries and community groups to provide additional
assistance, especially as this need is at an all-time high.
When Georgia's Department of Labor \1\ became inundated with
claims, we heard horror stories from our customers who went months
before they received any benefits. Almost a year later, there are still
customers who tell us they are having trouble receiving unemployment
benefits. For those individuals, SNAP has been a lifeline for getting
food on the table and the Emergency Allotments that increased benefits
to the maximum were and are critically important.
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\1\ https://www.11alive.com/article/money/georgia-unemployment-
benefits-elusive/85-e4af9830-b01d-4ac3-9f2c-17cff5767410.
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When the schools in Atlanta closed due to the pandemic, many
customers had to quit their jobs to stay home and take care of their
children. Feeding their children became a real struggle for those who
rely on free and reduced-price school breakfasts and lunches.
Thankfully, the Families First Coronavirus Response Act of 2020 that
you passed allowed the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food and
Nutrition Service to facilitate the distribution of pandemic EBT--or P-
EBT--to families affected by coronavirus-related school closures.
Georgia families received a one-time allotment of $256.50 in P-EBT
benefits per child based on a calculation of $5.07 per day for the 45
days the child missed school during last year's school year.
Unfortunately, there have been no P-EBT benefits issued for this school
year even though we are now 7 months into the school year. To date,
less than half the states have been approved to issue P-EBT benefits
for the current school year. While the P-EBT program is not directly
under the jurisdiction of this Committee, I encourage this Committee in
coordination with the House Education and Labor Committee to examine
the program and why many states are facing so many challenges in being
approved for the current school year. While implementing P-EBT remains
a challenge for states, there are some very positive pieces to its
model like how it is tailored directly to children in need and that it
leverages the existing EBT rails. For families who already participate
in SNAP, they can shop as they usually do with added benefits on their
existing cards. For families who do not currently receive SNAP, they
are issued EBT cards that function under the same requirements of SNAP.
This allows families to continue shopping at their neighborhood grocer
who is SNAP-authorized and easily redeem those benefits. I would
encourage this Committee to consider the P-EBT model for summer feeding
programs as well. I have always thought this approach of utilizing the
EBT card for summer feeding made a lot of sense rather than having to
send children away from their homes to feeding sites.
I also want to comment on the so called ``food boxes'' that were
delivered to supplement families in tremendous need. While I certainly
believe the need is there and that we should do everything we can do to
help these families, I know without a doubt that the existing food
partnerships that distribute funds through an EBT card or through food
banks are far more efficient and give parents the opportunity to shop
at their convenience and to purchase the best foods for their children.
Imagine the frustration of a parent who receives a food box containing
peanut butter but has a child with a peanut allergy.
There is much that has been said in the press that is less than
accurate about the increased sales resulting in vastly increased
profits to grocers this past year. While we certainly saw increased
sales, we also confronted a significant number of costs to keep our
associates and customers safe, including investments in PPE, enhanced
cleaning and retrofitting stores with plexiglass to help keep cashiers,
baggers and customers safe at check-out. The national data that FMI--
the Food Industry Association has collected for more than 40 years
finds that the supermarket industry profit margin has never hit 2%.
Perhaps when this year's numbers are calculated, the industry may hit a
2% profit margin, but for my associates and for many others, that
profit goes back to them through our Employee Stock Ownership Plan
(ESOP).
In spite of these increased costs and the huge demand from
consumers now responsible for preparing three meals a day for their
families, I'm proud to say that the food retail industry continued to
be the largest private sector donor to Feeding America. According to
their 2020 Annual Report,\2\ food retailers were responsible for
donating more than 1.5 billion meals to the Feeding America network
last year. And this represents only one stream of the efforts
undertaken by retailers.
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\2\ https://www.feedingamerica.org/sites/default/files/2021-02/
FA_2020AnnReport_FINAL_
updated0204.pdf.
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Although your Committee does not have jurisdiction over the WIC
program, I did want to share my frustration that Georgia has still not
transitioned to eWIC. Although every state was mandated to transition
to eWIC by October of 2020, Georgia received a waiver to extend their
timeline. We are now hearing it could be another year before Georgia is
ready to launch eWIC.
Retailers and our customers are challenged to deal with an outdated
system that requires customers to receive all their monthly benefits at
one time and maintains the stigma of using the WIC paper vouchers. The
eWIC system will benefit retailers because costly human error will be
reduced, reimbursement will happen faster and there will be less risk
of rejected purchases.
Please encourage your colleagues to do everything they can to move
Georgia WIC as well as other states who have not implemented eWIC
forward to better take care of our customers.
When we talk about food insecurity, we recognize that SNAP is an
important stabilizer for low-income families, but it is also a powerful
economic stimulator for the local economies and grocers. Wayfield Foods
has been in partnership with a SNAP-Ed-funded community agency, Open
Hand Atlanta, since 2017, to address food insecurity and health in our
stores directly with our customers. Wayfield Foods & Open Hand have
supported hundreds of store nutrition education sessions, employee
trainings and thousands of healthy food demonstrations and produce
donations over the last 5 years. We are committed to doing this work
and we have witnessed firsthand, SNAP recipients making the best use of
their limited funds as they learn to shop for healthy food on a budget,
read nutrition labels, and other critical nutrition messages that help
empower them to make better decisions related to nutrition and the
health and wellness of their families.
We have also partnered with the Atlanta Community Food Bank by
implementing the two for one SNAP fresh produce purchase program with
the assistance of a FINI (Food Insecurity Nutrition Incentive) grant in
2018 and 2019. Wayfield Foods supports this critical work, and we
amplify the USDA funding with our own financial and staff support.
These types of programs show that private-public partnerships can make
a significant impact on the way people shop, think about food, healthy
eating and nutrition.
One of the efforts we were engaged in during the pandemic was
encouraging our customers and providing support with healthy and
economical meal solutions with the theme--Stay Strong with Family
Meals, recognizing that eating well helps to keep our customers healthy
until they are able to be protected by the COVID vaccination.
In conclusion, addressing an issue as complex as food insecurity
requires grocers, community-based organizations, food banks, hospitals,
universities, and public health agencies working together to build
nutrition programs that not only reduce hunger and poverty, but enhance
nutrition knowledge, improve health outcomes and productivity, create
jobs and economic growth, and strengthen our communities. Wayfield
Foods will continue to work with our partners to increase access to
quality food in our communities, and we are pleased to see the result
of this work in healthier customers.
I may be biased, but I happen to think that the House Agriculture
Committee has the right person leading this important work at this
critical time.
I would be pleased to answer your questions.
Mrs. Hayes. Thank you, Mr. Edenfield, for your testimony.
Without objection, Mr. Sanford Bishop, our soon to be
fellow Committee Member, will participate in today's hearing.
Hearing none, so ordered. Welcome, Mr. Bishop.
Mr. Bishop. Thank you very much.
Mrs. Hayes. At this time, Members will be recognized for
questions in order of seniority, alternating between Majority
and Minority Members. You will be recognized for 5 minutes each
in order to allow us to get in as many questions as possible.
Please keep your microphones muted until you are recognized in
order to minimize background noise.
I now recognize the Ranking Member, the gentleman from
Pennsylvania, Mr. Thompson.
Mr. Thompson. Madam Chair, if it is okay with you, out of
respect for colleagues that are going to be eventually
traveling here, I would defer to the end.
Mrs. Hayes. That is okay with me.
Mr. Thompson. Okay.
Mrs. Hayes. I now recognize Mr. Costa, and immediately
after Mr. Costa, I will recognize Mr. Austin Scott from
Georgia.
Mr. Costa. Thank you, Madam Chair, and I want to thank the
Chair as well for holding this important hearing on food
insecurity in America. Certainly, it has been a challenge in
this country for years, but in the last 12 months during this
pandemic when our complex, complicated food supply chain has
been turned upside down, this deep recession created by the
pandemic with the closure of restaurants and schools, we have
found that hunger in America has only increased, sadly. We find
people going to food banks that have never been to a food bank
in their lives.
I represent a Congressional district that has significant
poverty. Almost 24 percent of my constituents are enrolled in
SNAP, the second highest in California in Congressional
districts. And yet, it is one of the most productive
agricultural regions in the entire country. Such a contrast,
sadly.
But, we need to do a better job of connecting the
resources. This hearing is important to do that, and I want to
commend folks. Clearly, it has been indicated by the American
Enterprise Institute that increased benefits over the last
year--and I do want to commend Secretary Perdue and the efforts
that the Agriculture Committee working together with the USDA
last year did to put the Food Box Program together to provide
supplemental support for our food banks and for our religious
organizations to, in fact, try to bridge the gap as a result of
the increased hunger that resulted in that.
The American Enterprise Institute report indicated that
increased benefit has helped keep the lid on poverty at about
11 percent in the last 12 months from going higher. It could
have been higher.
Mr. Waide, I want to thank you for all that you have done
to help people. You mentioned in your testimony that just ten
percent increase in SNAP benefits is equivalent to doubling
access to all food provided to our nation's food banks. Could
you speak a little more about the importance of the 15 percent
increase that SNAP has had during the pandemic, and the
importance of SNAP benefits, going forward, as we provided in
this most recent COVID package?
Mr. Waide. Yes, I really appreciate the question.
SNAP as a program is really the nation's first line of
defense against hunger. Certainly, food banks----
Mr. Costa. It is our safety net.
Mr. Waide. It is our safety net. Certainly, food banks do
extraordinary work leveraging public and private resources to
get much needed food into the hands of folks who need it.
That said, just in terms of the scale at which these
programs operate, SNAP operates at a much larger scale, and so,
as I said in my testimony, if we reduce SNAP by ten percent or
expand it by ten percent, that is the equivalent--that changes
the equivalent of the entire volume of the food that is
provided through Feeding America food banks.
Mr. Costa. Okay.
Mr. Waide. What SNAP really allows people to do is to--and
Mr. Edenfield spoke to this--is to be able to use the existing
food supply chain, which is well-established, highly
sophisticated, highly accessible to people all over the
country, and to simply use resources very efficiently to get
the food that they need that is right for their families.
Mr. Costa. I think that is an important point, but my time
is limited here. I want to ask one more question, if you don't
mind.
Mr. Duvall, I want to thank all of your good work on behalf
of the American Farm Bureau. As you know, I work very closely
with a lot of the Farm Bureaus throughout California.
Your testimony about the importance that farmers take and
the pride that they do in feeding America. I would say farmers
and farmworkers--we hope to provide some legislation next week
that will provide some legal status for our farmworkers. But
they literally put food on America's dinner table every night,
and food, I continue to tell everybody, is a national security
issue.
Could you elaborate on the importance of SNAP to rural
communities from your perspective, Mr. Duvall, Zippy?
Mr. Duvall. Yes, thank you, sir. It is good to be with you
today.
It is, in rural communities where the job markets are
difficult, it is so important. The SNAP Program is so important
in those areas. Our rural communities continue to struggle for
a number of reasons, whether it be health care, whether it be
education, whether it be lack of broadband. Whatever it might
be that brings jobs there, and that is what is important. We
need to rebuild our rural communities, make sure that they have
the broadband, help create some jobs there for our people. But,
those programs are vitally important.
Mr. Costa. Thank you. I appreciate it. We need to focus on
rural America as well, and thank you for your good work.
My time has expired.
Mr. Duvall. Thank you.
Mrs. Hayes. Thank you. I now recognize Mr. Scott from
Georgia, followed by Mr. McGovern from Massachusetts, if you
could ready yourself.
Mr. Austin Scott of Georgia. Thank you, Madam Chair, and
Mr. Waide, I want to thank you for your comments on the
successful Food Box Program. I was there at the Atlanta Farmers
Market when then Secretary Perdue came down, and the thing that
I noticed about that--the farmers box is that is the same high-
quality food that my family might enjoy if my parents were
coming over for dinner, fresh produce and other things, and it
is just a different quality than the food boxes that I have
helped pack with Second Harvest in south Georgia. It is
important that we have the combination for people as we work to
help alleviate these challenges in these really unprecedented
times. I am happy that we are having this discussion and we are
not attacking the Food Box Program. I want to thank all of you
that complimented it, and I am going to thank the Democratic
Party for their support of the Food Box Program. It is
important that we do anything and everything we can do right
now.
I want to, Zippy, say hello to you. It has been a while
since I have seen you. I look forward to seeing you back in
Georgia in Congressional District 1, and as we talk about
policies that impact the price of food, it obviously places a
greater burden on our low-income citizens in the United States,
and part of it gets back to U.S. agriculture policy. Starving
farmers can't help feed hungry people. One of my concerns is
how long it takes us to get disaster relief to our producers
when something happens. It is my understanding that disasters
of the Midwest, those farmers still have not received any
disaster payments, and there were over 200 million bushels of
corn and soybeans and other things destroyed through the storms
of August 10 and 11.
Zippy, could you talk about the importance of the
resilience of our ag producers with regard to the food supply
in the United States?
Mr. Duvall. Sure, Congressman. I appreciate the opportunity
and look forward to seeing you real soon in person, too.
Farm programs are so important to our rural communities. It
bolsters the economies in the rural communities, and it is as
simple as that. When we bolster their economies, we feed
people. And you are exactly right. Starving farmers can't feed
starving people.
So, to make sure that our country's food insecurity becomes
better, that we make sure that all our Americans are fed, we
have to have strong farm programs as we move forward. It is
important that our farmers are surviving and have been able to
get through the natural disasters and the fluctuation in the
prices that we see.
Mr. Austin Scott of Georgia. Zippy, there has been a lot of
talk about the challenges of minority farmers. I see it as
challenges for small farmers. I mean, the margins are so thin
in agriculture right now, and they have been for many, many
years. If things like Waters of the U.S. and restrictions on
pesticides and other things that we use in the inputs of our
food supply chain are restricted and the cost of producing a
crop goes up, what would the impact be on the food supply chain
if the cost of inputs on the agriculture producers go up?
Because we all know that the food that we buy off the shelves
in the grocery store, it starts with the inputs on the farm,
and the next step is the harvest. And then it actually makes it
through processing into the grocery store.
Mr. Duvall. Yes. If you increase input costs, I mean, it is
going to be extremely hard to continue to help feed the people
in our country. You are exactly right. If it costs us more to
produce it, it is going to cost the consumer more to buy it,
and it is important that we streamline regulatory oversight of
all the tools that are coming down the pike for our farmers to
use. They need to be efficient.
And you talked about small farmers. We have enough barriers
in the way. We don't need to create more barriers with over-
regulation.
Mr. Austin Scott of Georgia. Mr. Duvall, thank you for your
testimony. I am extremely concerned about all of our small
farmers out there, the lack of the margins. The fact of the
matter is when you spend $100 at the grocery store, maybe $1 of
that ends up being positive revenue to the farmer out there.
And so, again, thank you for your testimony. I appreciate
the work of the Committee, and I just want to make sure that we
have a balanced approach to solving this challenge of hunger in
the country.
Mrs. Hayes. Thank you. I now recognize Mr. McGovern from
Massachusetts, followed by Mr. Crawford from Arkansas.
Mr. McGovern. Thank you very much, and I want to express my
appreciation to the panel for their excellent testimony today.
I want to thank Mr. Waide in particular for reminding us
that while the crisis that we are dealing with right now is
new, this issue of hunger for many in our country existed long
before the crisis. One thing is clear, and that is the Federal
response, our response was inadequate then, and I still believe
it is not adequate now. There is more that we need to do. I
disagree with the Ranking Member who took a potshot at the
American Rescue Plan. It is important that we extend the 15
percent increase in SNAP. Not, and by the way, I would say that
not just through September, but we ought to make it permanent.
The average SNAP benefit is about $1.40 per person per meal.
That is--you cannot live on that. A cup of coffee is more than
that now. We need to be thinking immediately about making that
increase in SNAP permanent. I appreciate the Chairman of the
Agriculture Committee holding this hearing, but we also need to
appreciate the fact that if we are going to solve the issue of
hunger, it falls under the jurisdiction of multiple committees,
not just the Agriculture Committee. We ought to think seriously
about doing joint committee hearings with Ways and Means, with
Education and Labor, and other committees that have some
jurisdiction over a piece of the response to ending hunger. We
need a holistic approach to this.
I am grateful that President Biden and Vice President
Harris have talked about the importance of dealing with the
issue of hunger, and I hope that we can get some bipartisan
support on a couple of requests that I have made to the
Administration. One is they ought to appoint a hunger czar, or
as my friend Jose Andres calls for a food czar, but somebody
who can coordinate an effort to kind of connect all the dots.
Again, just like we have multiple committees here in Congress
that deal with the issue, there are multiple agencies and
departments that deal with the issue. And you know, unless
there is somebody bringing everybody together in a room, it is
hard to have a holistic, coordinated response.
I also hope the people will support an effort that I am
trying to convince the Administration to undertake, which is to
do a White House conference on food, nutrition, health, and
hunger. Again, you know I don't want to manage this problem. I
want to solve this problem. And you know, FRAC points out that
right now we have an estimated 50 million Americans, including
17 million children, who are hungry or food-insecure. Every one
of us should be ashamed by that statistic. We are the richest
country in the history of the world. We should not tolerate
that at all. I would like to call on the President to make this
one of this Administration's priorities. Do a conference on
this issue. Bring together struggling families. Bring together
the food banks, our mayors, the advocates who are on the front
lines doing such incredible work, those of you who are on this
panel who play a role. Bring our medical experts, our schools,
our business community, our farmers. Bring everybody who has a
role in this together, and let us piece together a holistic
response to this with goals and benchmarks to see whether we
are reaching those goals and those benchmarks.
Hunger is a political condition. We have the resources. We
don't have the political will.
I will just finally say that everybody in Washington, you
are never going to find anybody who is going to say they are
pro-hunger. Notwithstanding some of the votes that some people
take. But the bottom line is, we have to do more than talk the
talk. We got to walk the walk, and we need a dramatically
different approach. We need to think out of the box. We need to
bring other people to the table, and we need to, again, develop
a plan to solve this.
And let us, again, in the immediate term, let's make these
improvements in SNAP, this 15 percent increase, let's make that
permanent. We all should agree on that. The benefit is
inadequate.
But beyond that, we need to develop a holistic plan, and
included in that has to be the understanding that if you want
to end hunger, we also have to deal with the issue of wages.
The majority of people who are on SNAP right now who can work
actually do work. They earn so little, they still quality for
the benefit. So, we need to do much more.
I thank the panel. I thank the Chair for the hearing, and I
yield back.
Mrs. Hayes. Thank you, Mr. McGovern.
I now recognize Mr. Crawford from Arkansas, followed by Ms.
Adams from North Carolina.
Mr. Crawford. Thank you. Let me get to Mr. Edenfield.
You referenced food boxes in your testimony, and how
current infrastructure is far more efficient. I kind of
struggle with that as such a broad sentiment, especially for
those in rural communities like my district who have really
benefitted from the program, including distributions at food
pantries, especially in the early phases of the pandemic when
produce was being plowed over, milk dumped, and grocery shelves
emptied. The Farmers to Families Food Box Program seemed like a
reasonable and efficient combination. Do you disagree with
that?
Mr. Edenfield. Well, the food box----
Mrs. Hayes. Can I ask everyone who is not speaking to mute?
Mr. Edenfield. Well, the food box is a short-term solution,
and it has been beneficial. There is no doubt about that. But
talking about long-term solutions, a lot of things, especially
when we are talking about the rural areas, and you mentioned
rural areas. Rural areas also are where we have food deserts,
and a lot of times, the food deserts you just don't have that
much population. Anything that takes away from having a store
there, a full line store to select from, it is like a
competition there. And I must say, the competitions aren't
good. But one of the things I think in looking at food deserts
is anything you can do to alleviate that.
I am not saying it wasn't good. It was a good thing. It
certainly served a purpose, and it is a good short-term
solution. I just don't look at it as being a long-term
solution. Also, especially when it is predetermined what they
are going to get in that box. Now, some of the things that went
through the--it was entirely different, but when it is not--it
is predetermined what a family is going to get, as I mentioned
earlier, I mean, if a family gets peanut butter and they have a
child with a peanut allergy, that is not a good thing. So--and
as hard as farmers--I grew up in a farming community, so I will
always have a heart for farmers. As a matter of fact, it is
some of the hardest, most fulfilling work there is, and I
still--when I go back home now to south Georgia, I look at the
farm community and how different it was when I grew up, there
has been a lot of changes there, and there have been a lot of
changes from the food deserts--when I was growing up, they had
different things like garment factories and everything to help
support that economy that they don't have anymore. Basically,
it is farming and it is going to create more of a challenge to
have quality grocery stores in these areas, especially if food
distribution [inaudible]. Did I make sense?
Mr. Crawford. Thank you, I appreciate it.
I want to ask Mr. Duvall if you have any thoughts on how we
can expand distribution points moving forward, particularly as
we look at options to continue a more direct farm to family
link without putting government bureaucracy in the middle of
that?
Mr. Duvall. Sure, Congressman. I appreciate the question,
and of course, without putting bureaucracy in the middle of it,
if we've got to go to our NGOs and our local communities, Farm
Bureau is one of those. We know the people in our community. We
go to church with people that know people in that community
that need help. And the people on the ground, just like tending
to our farmland, we know our land better than anything. Those
NGOs in those communities know the landscape of their
communities, and they know where they can help. What we have to
be careful of, though it is not easy for someone to admit they
need help, so also we have to be working with the regional NGOs
to be able to offset some of that pressure on people to be able
to come forward and be able to receive the help that is
available to them there.
But our farmers and ranchers and our Farm Bureaus are there
and willing to help any time that they can and in any way they
can.
Mr. Crawford. Thank you.
Madam Chair, I yield back.
Mrs. Hayes. Thank you.
I now recognize Ms. Adams from North Carolina, followed by
Mr. DesJarlais from Tennessee.
Ms. Adams. Thank you, Madam Chair, and thank you to the
Ranking Member as well for hosting the hearing today. To the
witnesses, thank you for your testimony.
It is an incredibly urgent and important conversation.
Right now, more than 50 million Americans are struggling with
hunger, with an estimated 17 million children living in
households facing food insecurity. Over 18 million Americans
are receiving unemployment benefits, and up to 40 million
Americans cannot afford rent and fear eviction.
In North Carolina alone, 1.5 million people currently
depend on SNAP to put food on their tables, an increase of
300,000 North Carolinians since the pandemic began. In
Mecklenburg County, where my district is, there are more than
150,000 people receiving SNAP, an increase of more than 50,000
people since March of last year. It is clear that there is a
hunger crisis in our nation, and the jump in SNAP participation
only shows us part of a larger picture.
Mr. Duvall, thank you for your testimony in support of
America's farmers. In this Committee, we are incredibly proud
of the contributions that farmers make to our nation, and we
are glad to hear of the great work that you have done, and that
farmers have done, to combat hunger.
I do want to ask some needed additional context to your
remarks. In addition to the increase in SNAP benefits, which
the American Enterprise Institute has estimated has kept
millions of Americans out of poverty, our Committee also
provided a rather large number of needed Federal relief dollars
to producers in this country.
My question to you is, to build upon the importance of that
interconnection, Mr. Duvall, could you comment on the
importance of SNAP in rural communities, such as those in your
home State of Georgia?
Mr. Duvall. Yes, ma'am. Anytime you go into the rural parts
of our country, it is vitally important that those SNAP dollars
be there. On a previous question I talked a little bit about
rebuilding our infrastructure that will bring jobs back out to
our rural communities, and that is hopefully going to come
through this Biden Administration and through you all in
Congress. But it is vital. We have seen an increase in costs of
food to families that are going to the grocery store to buy it
of about six percent, where normally on a year-to-year basis it
is about two percent. There is a desperate need out there for
help, and those funds are very important.
Ms. Adams. Well, thank you so much.
Mr. Waide, in my district Loaves and Fishes is a nonprofit
that provides groceries to individuals in Charlotte Mecklenburg
in short-term crisis has a program that provides unutilized
perishable TEFAP foods to those in need. It alone has increased
from serving around 500 people per month pre-pandemic to
serving between 5,000 and 7,000 per month.
So, can you expand on how the COVID-19 pandemic has
affected the way you store, handle, and distribute food, and
how you have managed those hurdles?
Mr. Waide. Thank you for the question. The key challenge
that we face from the pandemic in how we operate is really in
the distribution methods. Rather than ask clients at food
pantries to come inside, shop for food, and then leave, we have
really pivoted to a mobile distribution model where people are
driving through parking lots and we are putting food directly
in trunks or in cars, just to maximize peoples' safety.
There has been a huge influx of perishable products through
the Food Box Program and through other sources of food that we
have relied upon significant investments in our infrastructure
in freezer and cooler capacity to help handle that food. And
then, of course, we have had to buy a lot of food. My food bank
alone is purchasing $1 million or more per month in food
purchases, about five times what we were doing prior to the
pandemic, and we think that is going to continue kind of
indefinitely.
So, those are some of the ways we have had to adapt, and we
expect to have to operate in this way for a number of months to
come.
Ms. Adams. Well, thank you for all that you do. I had a
Kellogg fellow who worked--who was in my group, Bill Bolling,
who worked with the Atlanta Food Bank. Is he still with you?
Mr. Waide. Bill was my predecessor and right now, he is
failing at retirement.
Ms. Adams. Oh, okay. When I saw the Atlanta Food Bank----
Mr. Waide. He is still very active in our----
Ms. Adams.--I looked, and I said you don't look like Bill.
Thank you for all your work.
I yield back, Mr. Chairman.
The Chairman [presiding.] Thank you, Ms. Adams.
And now, I recognize Mr. DesJarlais for 5 minutes.
Mr. DesJarlais. I thank the Chairman, and thank our
witnesses for being here today for this important hearing.
Mr. Duvall, as you know, the average U.S. family spends
just shy of ten percent of their disposable income on food,
while other countries experience much higher food costs and
spend a higher percentage of their disposable income on food.
Many of these countries employ market distorting farm policies,
or no farm policy at all, leading to volatility and
availability of and price of their food. What role does farm
policy have in stabilizing the availability and price of food
in the United States?
Mr. Duvall. It plays a huge role, because these farm
programs, they bolster the economies in our communities, and as
you bolster the economies there, we also produce the food and
generating the money in our communities to be able to feed our
hungry people there.
We are the bread basket of the world. We are known--and we
are proud of that. We should never have hungry people in our
communities and across this country. We look forward to working
with you all to find other solutions to be able to solve this
problem.
Mr. DesJarlais. Okay. We touched upon this the last time
you were here, which wasn't long ago, so it is great to have
you back. But you know, here on the Committee, we strive to be
very conscious about how policies may impact the price of food,
and in turn, place an even greater burden on those struggling
to feed their families.
I am greatly concerned when I hear priorities of folks
across the aisle, particularly as it relates to imposing
burdensome regulations on farmers, whether it be for climate
change, WOTUS, or even restrictions on crop protectants and
provide cost-effective ways to manage the risk of weeds and
pests. Do you share these concerns, and what is the impact on
the overall food supply chain if we arbitrarily increase the
cost of production on our farmers and ranchers, and who winds
up paying for these mandates?
Mr. Duvall. Well, of course, first of all we need to be as
efficient as we can, and [inaudible] better. We need to
streamline the approval of the new tools that are coming down
the pike for our farmers to be more efficient, and then, of
course, if you raise the cost to our farmers to produce that
food, someone has got to pay for it, and it is going to be paid
for by the consumer at the end of the chain.
Farm programs play a role in making sure that we keep it--
the fluctuation of prices from going up and down, and our risk
management tools are vitally important to making sure that we
can protect our farms and be there year after year after year.
So, all of this put together helps our country be food-
secure, and now we have to figure out how best to deliver it to
the people that need it, especially during this pandemic when
so many people lost their jobs.
Mr. DesJarlais. Absolutely, and I appreciate your comments.
I also want to thank the Chairman again for his comment at the
last hearing about making sure that Farm Bureau, stakeholders,
producers would have a seat at the table when we talk about
imposing regulations, and so, I appreciate his commitment to
that as well.
With that, I yield back.
The Chairman. Thank you very much, and now, the lady from
Maine, Ms. Pingree, you are recognized for 5 minutes. Is she
here?
Ms. Pingree. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Sorry, I moved an
inch away from my camera. I apologize. Thank you. I wasn't
expecting to come up.
I want to just thank the witnesses. I really appreciate
your testimony, and I appreciate the Chairman for getting such
a diverse group to testify in front of us.
So, Mr. Edenfield, thank you for your testimony and for
your support for your customers, making sure that people had
access to healthy food. I really appreciate what you talked
about.
You mentioned that your store was part of the incentive
program to help SNAP participants to buy more fruits and
vegetables a few years ago, and I know in my home State of
Maine, the Harvest Bucks and Farm Fresh Rewards Program have
become only more important during the pandemic to help people
access fresh and healthy foods. Can you talk about what it
would have meant for your business and your customers if those
fruit and vegetable incentives for SNAP had been available
during the pandemic?
Mr. Edenfield. Thank you for the question. No, the pandemic
would have been an absolutely ideal time to have that, because
the response was great. When we participated in that program,
we tried to have extra specials going on: not only did they get
double, sometimes they almost got triple what they would have
normally got in fresh produce.
And so, it is a great program. As far as health
initiatives, some of the things that we do as far as pushing
and working with our community on healthy initiatives, and it
just kind of fit right with that. And, it certainly meant a lot
to our customer base, and it was very, very well received, and
utilized where I thought we got the most out of it and the
customers got the most out of it.
Ms. Pingree. Great. Well, thank you for that, and I do
think when we talk about hunger--and clearly that is the focus
of this hearing, but we also have to remember that it is not
just about calories, it is also about making sure people get
fresh fruits, healthy vegetables, so that kids can grow up with
a healthy diet and build those habits. I know how important it
is and I know that is important certainly to the food banks.
Mr. Duvall, Zippy, thank you so much for once again being
with us. You are now a regular at our hearings, and so, we
appreciate you taking the time to be with us.
I have been working on this issue of reducing food loss and
waste, and it is such a strange contrast in our country to be
wasting about 30 percent of the food, yet we have so many
people going hungry. And that was really exacerbated during the
pandemic, particularly in the early days. You mentioned that it
was just heartbreaking to watch farmers having to slaughter
animals that couldn't get to the slaughterhouse or plow under
fields of vegetables, and I appreciate the work that you talked
about making sure that farmers could move that food.
But, sometimes I hear that there are obstacles for farmers
who want to donate food, or just even make the connections to
make sure that food can get to the places it needs to be. Can
you talk about that? Have you seen farmers experience an issue
around donating, or just the obstacles of getting the food
where it needs to go?
Mr. Duvall. Yes, ma'am. It is very difficult. When we have
a just in time system like we do, and we have something like
this happen, it really clogs everything down because most
farmers, especially medium to larger size farmers, have a
particular way they are going to sell it. They are going to
sell it that way, and they do it day in and day out, every day.
Now, the smaller farmers, we saw an increase in their
capability of selling direct to the people, but that is through
farmers' markets, local farmers' markets, and anywhere we can
do to assist them to make it easier for them and have access to
areas where they can use the SNAP program benefits to be able
to purchase those, that is good for those smaller-type farmers.
But yes, sometimes it is very difficult for them to be able
to make that transition from that just in time to trying to go
somewhere different when the interruption comes in the chain.
Ms. Pingree. Thank you for that. I think we have learned a
lot about the just in time food system and the food chain in
general, and certainly that gives us opportunities to look into
that. And I appreciate you mentioning the small- to medium-
sized farmers. I know in our state, there was a tremendous
increase for small- to medium-sized farmers who were able to
sell directly, but you are right. Some of them also experienced
problems, how do the customers make contact with them, and
often for things like SNAP benefits, you need to have broadband
access so that you can actually use a card at a farmers'
market, and that leads to another program we talk a lot about--
or problem we talk a lot about on this Committee. I am glad to
hear that talked about.
My time is up. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and I really
appreciate this hearing today.
The Chairman. Thank you very much.
And now, the gentleman from Illinois, Mr. Davis, you are
now recognized for 5 minutes. Is he here? Okay. Is Mr. Davis--
okay. We will then move to Mr. Mann from Kansas. Proceed.
Mr. Mann. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and thank you for having
this important hearing. Mr. Chairman, I request unanimous
consent to submit a letter in support of the Farmers to
Families Food Box Program from the Topeka Rescue Mission
Ministries.
[The letter referred to is located on p. 134.]
Mr. Mann. My question is for Mr. Hodel. The Midwest Food
Bank is active in combating food insecurities across the U.S.
and around the world, and works with more than 2,000 agencies
to distribute food. Within the U.S., the Midwest Food Bank's
reach spans both urban and rural communities, definitely
understand and appreciate that, and including those that look
like rural areas that I represent throughout the big 1st
District of Kansas.
Could you tell me a little bit, if you would, about your
work in rural communities and how your organization has adapted
and is adapting to meet the needs of our rural citizens?
Mr. Hodel. Yes, thank you, Mr. Mann. I appreciate the
question.
The way our distribution model is set up, we are very
focused on reaching the rural communities, and a lot of that is
done through remote or satellite distributions. And so, we will
take semis out of our main warehouses and we will work with
other organizations, other businesses, and bring that semi a
load of food of both frozen, cooled as well as shelf stable
food, and we take that out into the rural communities and set
up a remote distribution so that it is closer and easier access
for our agencies and our pantries to come pick up the food. And
so, we are very proud of our effort to be able to serve the
rural community, and it is tied all the way back into our
organizational roots, and the focus on the farmers and reaching
back into those communities.
Mr. Mann. Great. I understand, you and I both grew up on a
farm and in the production side of agriculture, and that side
of the food supply. How does that influence your work on food
insecurity issues coming from the production side of the
industry, and now with what you are doing today?
Mr. Hodel. Yes, on a macro level, you are born and you are
taught from your parents and your grandparents that your job as
a farmer is to feed America. And so, in the nonprofit sector of
a food bank, you carry the heart of that mission with you, and
you know your job is still to feed America. This is now,
unfortunately, families that have fallen on troubled times or
somebody that has lost a job or whatever the situation might
be, it is still kind of that same macro mission that was seeded
in you at a young age.
For me, it is an easy transition to go from both the
producer as well as an organizational leader to make sure that
that mission is fulfilled, and that you are helping somebody
get fed, just equitably and without discrimination.
Mr. Mann. Yes. I appreciate what you all do. I represent
the big 1st District of Kansas, a lot of farmers, ranchers,
livestock producers who are trying to feed the world, care a
lot about hungry people throughout the country, in their
communities, and really appreciate you all being on this panel
and serving with us today.
Mr. Hodel. Thank you.
Mr. Mann. With that, Mr. Chairman, I yield back.
The Chairman. Thank you very much.
I am going to take my questions. I wasn't here at the very
start, and I want to thank Mrs. Hayes for stepping in for me.
The real fundamental question that I want to get each of my
guests, all five of you are all so distinguished. Mr. Waide,
Mr. Duvall, Mr. Edenfield, Mr. McBrayer, and Mr. Hodel, if you
had to name one thing, what would be your major thing as to why
we are now in this hunger crisis? We need to get that question
answered from each of your variety of perspectives, because you
each come from different perspectives. But if we are going to
get the right answer, we have to make sure we ask the right
question. And that is if you could share with us why we are in
this hunger crisis today? What would be that one major thing,
in your mind, each of you, quickly please?
Let's start with you, Mr. Waide.
Mr. Waide. Well, thank you, Mr. Chairman. Great question.
Fundamentally, the answer is that an extraordinary number of
American families have experienced economic disruption as a
result of this crisis, and they were, prior to the crisis, at a
place of real vulnerability where they couldn't absorb the kind
of economic impact they faced as a result of losing jobs, of
having their kids out of school, and so forth.
And so, for us to solve that problem, obviously we have to
get the economy going, but when people face that crisis, we
have to have a really robust intervention system to help people
stay solid until they can get back to work and back on their
feet.
The Chairman. Mr. Waide, while we're on that, the food
banks and Feeding America, you all are at the front of the
point of the spear when it comes to this issue of food
insecurity and hunger, being the community food banks. It would
be helpful for us in the Committee and the people across the
nation who may be tuning in as to how do you get your food,
your supplies to feed the hungry as you do? Could you share
with us how the food banks acquire that food that you all
deliver? How do you get it, and what do we need to make sure
that your food supply chain is secure?
Mr. Waide. Food banks work with a wide variety of food
suppliers to get the food that we then distribute in the
community. We work with manufacturers and distributors to
source excess inventory from those channels. We work with
farmers to get any number of agricultural products, especially
produce directly from the farm, surplus farm products that we
can then move through our system. We work with retailers to get
short-dated and excess inventory from stores to our vast
network of agency partners really quickly so that that food can
still be utilized, and of course, we work with government to
utilize Federal programs like TEFAP and to provide lots of
accountability and food safety measures to ensure that
government-funded program goes where it needs to go when it
needs to be there, with lots of accountability around it. And
then last, we purchase a lot of food, and that is an important
part of our supply chain.
We then move that through a grassroots network of partners.
We provide lots of advice and guidance and oversight for those
partners to ensure they are serving people equitably, to ensure
they are not charging people for food, to ensure they are
operating safely, and using that food in responsible ways. And
that ensures, then, that we are feeding literally tens of
millions of people every year.
The Chairman. And let me just ask you this, because you are
key and we need to know this. And so, who pays for this? Where
do you get your money from? What is it that is your greatest
need and threat to not being able to adequately respond?
Because I tell you, in my working with you, I was just
fascinated. But people say they go and they get their food from
the community food bank, you are there, you got plenty, but the
question has to be what is it that we need to do for the food
banks here in Congress to make sure that your supply of being
able to acquire this food is safe? Because you mentioned people
contribute, you get this, but as the economy goes up and goes
sideways, where are we in terms of making sure that our
community food banks are secure and do you need us in Congress
to be able to provide a way for you all, the food banks,
Feeding America, to get more resources to make sure that you
don't run out of food?
Mr. Waide. Mr. Chairman, the majority of our funding as
food banks comes from private sources. In Atlanta, 60 percent
of our funding comes from private fundraising. We certainly
have some amount of government funding, about \1/4\ of our
funding, and then we have fees and other sources of revenue
that make up the difference.
I think for us, the most important risk that we face and
the most important thing that this Committee and Congress and
the Administration can do to support us is to continue to
invest robustly in food purchases through TEFAP and other USDA
programs. If that food supply declines, it would significantly
impact our ability to respond in the way that we have. My food
bank has sourced about 50 percent of our inventory since June
from TEFAP and from the Farmers to Families Food Box Program,
the majority of that through TEFAP. And so, significant
investments in that program are the most important thing to
help us continue to distribute food.
And the second thing I would say, of course, is we need to
continue investing in SNAP as a way to relieve some of the
burden on food banks.
The Chairman. Very good, and there is so much here for us
to inquire. My time has certainly run out there, but I will
come back to each of the others in my closing comments and try
to get answers there. But there is one other that we got to get
an answer from, and you can be thinking about it, and that is
our veterans. It is unthinkable that we have over one million
of our veterans going hungry. That is right. And there are some
estimates that it is more than that. I want to come back to
that, because we have to make sure that all of our American
people are not going hungry, and most certainly not our
veterans.
With that, Mr. Davis is back, so for the next 5 minutes we
recognize Mr. Davis.
And panelists, I will come back to my line of questioning
because there are some very important things here, because I
want you all to be thinking about how we in Congress can help
you.
Now I recognize Mr. Davis.
Mr. Davis. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and thanks again to the
witnesses. Those pesky little votes they are calling, I
apologize. I am--was a little late getting back here.
But I have always been a big supporter of the Farmers to
Families Food Box Program. As a matter of fact, if you talk to
former Secretary Perdue, he would tell you I bent his ear and
his staff's ear at the beginning of this pandemic to talk about
ideas that ended up culminating in this very successful program
that I advocated for, and we have seen, just based on the
testimony already, the immense value to every single American
who needed these boxes that got them.
So, it is an innovative program, proved to be immensely
valuable, and we are combating hunger in a time of crisis. It
is disappointing to see so many people make feeding hungry
families actually a political issue. In my opinion, this
program is the type of innovation we need, and should be the
start of a conversation on how we can use it as a model for
years to come. Additionally, I would like to submit for the
record, Mr. Chairman, a study from the Wallace Center that
showcases the value of investment in this program.
[The report referred to is located on p. 121.]
Mr. Davis. My question for you, Mr. Hodel, your testimony
reflects on the immense value of this Food Box Program, too,
and as you know, the program currently asks that dairy,
protein, and fresh produce be provided in a combination box. Is
that the correct approach?
Mr. Hodel. Yes, thank you, Mr. Davis, for the question.
I would say it depends. If it works. Personally for Midwest
Food Bank and for the majority of our agencies that we serve,
receiving them in kind of a bulk item allows us better
flexibility in terms of refrigeration and freezer. When it
comes in a combination box today, it limits us a little bit in
terms of the time that we have to get them out to an agency,
and an agency that may not have a lot of refrigeration space
has to immediately get those into the trunk of a car. That
works really well. We had a partnership with Jackie Joyner-
Kersee Foundation where we distributed 500 boxes in east St.
Louis, and it went from the truck to the trunk of the car, and
those boxes worked really well. In general, we would probably
prefer them to be in bulk so that we could put the meat into
the freezer and we could freeze it, and we could put the milk
and the produce into the cooler and we could hold it, and it
gives us just a little bit more flexibility in terms of the
supply chain to be able to get those to our agencies and the
agencies also would have that same flexibility.
Mr. Davis. Excellent. I know you have alluded to this
before, Mr. Hodel, and so have the other witnesses. I think
there is unanimous support for the program. We just want to
make it better.
I do believe from your testimony, you believe that there is
a value to continuing this Food Box Program in a post-pandemic
era. Give us another reason why you think that that is a good
idea?
Mr. Hodel. Yes, absolutely. I think diversity is key, and
so, the programs that have been talked about here today are all
very good, but this program really is an additional pipeline of
nutritious food into the supply chain for food banks. And so,
that is why the nutritional value of it, and then the
partnership that can be connected and the exposure that the
food bank has to the farmer and to the producer to get this
great product, and to get it into the food bank pipeline, I
sincerely plead that it continues because we have seen it as a
tremendous benefit to the families that are in need and are
fighting hunger. It really gives a nutritious option for them
to have.
Mr. Davis. Well, Mr. Hodel, thanks again for joining us
today. I hope all is well back home. I will be there hopefully
in a matter of hours, but I appreciate your comments, and the
comments from all of our witnesses today.
And for the new freshmen on the Committee, I am actually
going to yield a minute back, which doesn't happen often. So,
mark this day down.
I yield back, Mr. Chairman.
The Chairman. Thank you very much, and thank you for giving
us that extra minute, because we can use it.
And now I will recognize the lady from Virginia, Ms.
Spanberger. You are recognized for 5 minutes.
Ms. Spanberger. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman, and
thank you to our witnesses who are here today. I am so grateful
that this Committee is holding a hearing on this incredibly
important topic.
Before the pandemic, far too many families had to make
sacrifices to feed themselves and their children, and this
crisis has only worsened food security in our communities,
including mine in central Virginia. The realities of this
crisis are that parents must make difficult decisions about
what to forego to feed their children, and recently unemployed
people are experiencing hunger, sometimes for the first time,
and there remains a severe lack of available resources for
those who have been suffering from hunger long before this
pandemic.
I have heard about these issues all across the communities
I serve, ten counties in total, and I have been a frequent
visitor because of a personal interest and also because of this
wonderful Committee assignment to our local regional food bank
to understand really what goes into ensuring that people
throughout central Virginia and our food pantries that serve
them have the resources that they need. As an example, before
the pandemic, a church located in Henrico County reported that
they typically served about 24 families a week through their
food pantry. But just last month, there was a line of 125 cars
waiting to receive food at the drive-thru pantry. And I know I
am telling stories that many of my colleagues have heard across
their districts and certainly our witnesses know firsthand
through their tremendous work to ensure that people are having
their needs met and that we are delivering these tremendous and
important programs. I am grateful to each of you for your
efforts to ensure that food is delivered to hungry Americans,
and I wholeheartedly support efforts to improve Federal
programs and their efficiency and effectiveness, and Mr. Hodel,
I really appreciated your answer to Mr. Davis's question about
how you store the products you receive through the food box.
But, I will get to my questions. Mr. Edenfield, SNAP online
recently became available for some large-scale grocery stores,
and there are currently several grocery stores in central
Virginia that allow SNAP recipients to purchase food online.
What obstacles do you foresee in trying to implement SNAP
online for midsize and smaller grocery stores?
Mr. Edenfield. Well, thank you. That is a very good
question. For us--and we are small. We are a nine-store
independent. It takes a little bit more on technology and it
takes more to get into it. One of the things that I am still
not sure exactly how it works is who, there is a cost on the--
if you are talking about home delivery, there is an extra cost
there, and how that would work out. And so, I think that I
would like to find out more about this here, and I can see this
coming because sometimes there is a real need.
I know in our stores, there is a problem with
transportation sometimes. I have seen people that live a \1/2\
mile or \3/4\ mile, maybe even a mile from the store going down
the street with bags of our groceries sometimes. So, it is an
issue. It is an issue that needs to be looked at. But it is
going to be a little bit more challenging for the smaller
independents as far as the technology and everything that--to
get there, and we are close to being ready for that, but we are
not. Well, like I said, one of the things--the questions I have
is who pays that delivery charge there?
Ms. Spanberger. And Mr. Edenfield, I have an additional
question for you.
I am curious if you could provide your thoughts related to
the use of SNAP benefits to purchase hot foods. Currently,
families can't use SNAP benefits to purchase hot foods, and I
am wondering what your thoughts are on this current policy,
whether it might place a burden on SNAP participants who visit
grocery stores like yours, and who might need additional
flexibility? I know it is a little bit of a leading question,
which I admit, but I am curious about your comments on this,
sir.
Mr. Edenfield. Well, there are mixed emotions on this here
because that spreads out when you talk about hot foods. I guess
it could be so many different things. Most of the hot foods in
most grocery stores are pretty economical. You can get a
rotisserie chicken at a pretty low cost. I would have mixed
opinions on it because sometimes I guess it would open the door
maybe for other things, but at the same time--and the example
of rotisserie chicken, while it can be bought hot, it can be
cooked a day and refrigerated and bought the next day cold. So,
it can be a little confusing. That is a very good question.
Ms. Spanberger. That is a very good example, sir. I
appreciate that very much. Thank you.
Mr. Edenfield. It would take a lot of work, a lot of
talking to go over this here and a lot of discussion.
Ms. Spanberger. In terms of delineating what elements and
portions of your store or other stores would be eligible for
it. That makes sense.
Thank you very much, Mr. Edenfield. Thank you to the other
witnesses, and Mr. Chairman, I yield back.
The Chairman. Thank you very much, Ms. Spanberger.
And now I will recognize the gentleman from Georgia, Mr.
Rick Allen, for 5 minutes.
Mr. Allen. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and again, I want to
thank you for hosting this hearing today, and hearings on these
important matters.
As we go forward, one of the things that, that we hear
every time that we get together and talk about hunger, is the
number of people who go to bed, particularly children, hungry
at night, and when they go to bed, and then we have other folks
who are not getting the food supply that they need. Yet when
you look at the amount that our farmers are producing, I mean,
it is 120 percent, plus we export 25 percent of the food
produced here. I think we need to go from the source. In other
words, let's find the children that are going to bed hungry,
and let's find out what the root of the problem is there. That
should not happen in this country. I agree with you, Mr.
Chairman. We need to go directly there and work backwards and
see how is the most efficient way to make sure they don't go to
bed hungry.
I was very proud of the folks in my district who provided
breakfast and lunch and their snack pack for every child in my
district. No child should have gone hungry in the 12th District
of Georgia.
So, my point being--and Zippy, this question is for you.
Obviously, we have gotten very efficient. In fact, farmers are
just about producing themselves right out of business. Going
forward, we have thrown $6 trillion at this problem, and
another $2 trillion is going to be signed into law this week.
That takes our borrowing to $30 trillion. We are seeing
inflation--six percent inflation, as you mentioned, at the
grocery store. We are seeing gas prices increase dramatically,
and as we see this and it begins to spiral, is it directly
related to the amount of borrowing this government is doing and
the impact it is having on capital markets? Zippy, could you
tell me your thoughts on that?
Mr. Duvall. That is a good question, Congressman, and I
don't know that I can even get my mind around $1 trillion, to
start with, coming from the farm.
I don't know that I am qualified to answer that question,
Congressman.
Mr. Allen. How about----
Mr. Duvall. But it can't be good for us as a country.
Mr. Allen. Yes, the ag economists, have they looked at the
potential risk of the collapse of capital markets that our
farmers so depend on for this national security and food
security issue?
Mr. Duvall. No, sir, not that, I don't have their evidence
in front of me.
Mr. Allen. Okay. I would suggest that we get our ag
economists to look at the current financial picture, and the
dependence of our industry on government and the ability for
government to continue to fund that, in addition to their
borrowing costs and what those borrowing costs could look like
if we continue--I don't see this stopping. That is the thing
that concerns me. I don't see anybody that is thinking anything
about, big deal, $30 trillion. Well, heck, why not make it $60
trillion if it doesn't matter? I just don't know where you draw
the line here, but I can tell you this. There is no reason in
the world why we--anyone in this country should go hungry. Of
course, we know in the last event that frankly, the processing
folks were a big part of the problem, yet I called all of my
processors in my district and they are working 24/7. I said how
are you doing this? They said, well, we are working per CDC
requirements, and our folks are showing up for work and we are
getting the job done. And of course we have had tremendous
efforts from healthcare professionals, teachers. None of this
has been easy. But if you look at where we are financially, the
importance of food, Zippy, we have to look at the impact of
what we are doing here in Congress as far as spending goes, and
how that is going to impact our ability to produce the food we
need. I think your organization needs to get the right
professionals together and we need to look at this key
component of how our economy works.
Mr. Duvall. Congressman, we have some great economists
here, and we will put them to work to see what the answer to
your question is, and try to get back to you.
Mr. Allen. We will save that answer for a future hearing.
Thank you, Zippy.
I yield back.
The Chairman. Thank you very much, Congressman Allen.
And now I recognize Ms. Kuster of New Hampshire for 5
minutes.
Ms. Kuster. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and thank you again
for scheduling this important hearing.
Hunger is so heartbreaking and food insecurity is plaguing
my state just as it is the rest of the country. One in seven
people in New Hampshire are now struggling with hunger, and the
number of food-insecure has grown by almost 70 percent.
Part of the tragedy is this challenge is not new. COVID
worsened the problem, but I like to say it pulled back the
curtain and exposed the staggering degree of food insecurity
that existed even before the pandemic. No one in America should
have to go hungry. We can and must do much better.
So, I have been proud to help champion increases in food
assistance in the COVID response packages that Congress has
passed over the last year. Yet, American Recovery Act which we
passed and sent to President Biden just yesterday provides
billions in additional food support at a time when Americans
still desperately need it.
I am also constantly inspired by the work of our food and
nutrition organizations across New Hampshire, including the New
Hampshire Food Bank, which has provided 15 million meals in
2020, and logged over 15,000 volunteer hours all in the midst
of a pandemic health crisis, with great help from our New
Hampshire National Guard.
But it is clear that food banks and soup kitchens and
incredibly dedicated volunteers and advocates cannot stem the
tide of hunger alone. Without robust support from SNAP and WIC
and other Federal nutrition and food assistance programs,
countless more of our friends and neighbors won't know where
their next meal is coming from.
Mr. Waide, your testimony demonstrated perfectly when you
say increasing SNAP by ten percent has the practical effect of
doubling the amount of food already provided by our food banks,
and to that end, I have been excited to see SNAP online
purchasing pilots launched in 47 states, including New
Hampshire. My hope is that these pilots will continue and grow.
From your perspective, Mr. Waide, have you seen the impact
of SNAP online pilot programs in Georgia, and how does it help
reduce the stigma of SNAP? And also, those who are sick or
elderly or unable to get to a store?
Mr. Waide. Well, as an initial statement, for this larger
food insecurity crisis, we have to take a both/and approach to
the overall issue, and we need more investment in food
commodity programs like TEFAP and the Farmers to Families
Program. We need more investment in SNAP, and so forth.
The solution is all about access and making it easier for
folks to access food, given all of the challenges that we are
navigating. Online access to SNAP in this environment where we
are still needing to practice social distancing, where people
are challenged in terms of their time commitments to get to the
grocery store, can help ensure that families, especially
families with children, can access the food that they need. It
is also important for seniors who face higher risks around the
virus and who are challenged to get to the grocery store.
So, we certainly think any effort to increase access is a
good one, and with the right kind of controls, we can do this
in a way that is both accountable and increases accessibility.
Ms. Kuster. Excellent, and thank you for mentioning the
Farmers to Families Program. I don't think it is lost on any of
us that for some folks living in rural communities, their
farmers and producers are closer to home than the nearest
grocery store or in a food desert, a convenience store.
Mr. Duvall, do you think helping farmers' markets and rural
farm stands become licensed under SNAP and able to accept EBT
will make a difference in addressing rural hunger?
Mr. Duvall. By all means it would. I mean, we have seen an
increase in people coming to those small markets, and we need
to make sure that those funds are available through those small
markets.
Ms. Kuster. Excellent, and I know that will be a boost to
our small family farmers in New Hampshire.
Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. I yield back with 10
seconds remaining.
The Chairman. Very good. And now I recognize Mr. Johnson of
South Dakota. You are recognized for 5 minutes.
Mr. Johnson. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman.
Like all of my colleagues, I want to thank the panelists
who have done a nice job and an insightful job of getting us a
better understanding of hunger in America. I particularly would
like, Mr. Hodel, talking about the poverty to prosperity
pathway, and talking about helping people for a season, not for
a lifetime. I think that is a beautiful goal and an aspiration
that is, frankly, I am sure, shared by every Member of the
Committee. How do we get people on that pathway out of poverty?
And with that in mind, I want to talk to all of the
panelists about how we help America, how we help Americans and
American families move from an unfortunate position of
dependence and needing this necessary help to a greater degree
of independence. And so, you have been wonderful advocates
today, but all of you or most of you are also employers, and so
maybe you can share a little bit with the Committee things that
your organizations are doing to make sure that you are creating
jobs or giving your employees better career development, or
just in any other way really contributing to an economic
vitality that can help lift people out of poverty. And I
suppose I should pick somebody so we don't have a free for all,
so Zippy, my friend, if you want to go first, and then we
will--I will call on others from there.
Mr. Duvall. Well, thank you, Congressman. I appreciate the
question.
Of course, our farmers are all the time creating jobs. We
have limiting factors that keep us from doing that through
regulation, or whether it be lack of labor, but if you really
look at what the graduates come out of our ag schools, there
are more jobs available than there are students that come out.
It comes down on our end of creating jobs, it comes down to
awareness and the education of our children that, ``Hey,
farming is not a bad place to make a living. And just because
you would go work under a farmer on his larger farm, doesn't
mean that you are less of a citizen than anyone else.'' We need
to put the education out there to our young people that there
is great opportunity in our farmland, and our farmers will hire
them and put them to work.
Mr. Johnson. Yes, very well said, Mr. Duvall. Thanks.
Madam or Mr. Chairman, I can't see the time, and I know
Chairman Scott wanted to keep us on, so when I have a minute
left, maybe just politely give me a nudge.
Mr. McBrayer, how about you and RaceTrac. Talk to us about
your efforts.
Mr. McBrayer. Sure, I am glad and happy to talk to you
about our efforts.
As I said earlier, RaceTrac is a privately owned company,
750 stores in 11 states. We are spending about $350 million in
capital every year building new stores, and each of those new
stores takes 20 to 25 additional jobs to run. In addition to
that, we have 10,000 employees. We operate in a business where
turnover is quite high, and so, we are hiring 1,200 to 1,300
people a month into our stores. We think we are on the
frontline of creating not only access for SNAP beneficiaries
with the dignity of choice of the food that they eat, but if
they are unemployed, we will take their application at our
stores any time, because our needs are great. We were able to
stay open the entire pandemic. We didn't have to close our
stores unless directed by government to do so, and we meet
people at the point of their need with access to food.
We can only do that because of the dedication of our folks
in the field, and that need is growing every day.
Mr. Johnson. Thank you, and I did find the timer and I have
just a minute left, so my apologies to Mr. Waide and Mr.
Edenfield and Mr. Hodel. You are not all going to be able to
answer. Do any of the three of you particularly want to use the
last minute we have?
Mr. Waide. Yes, this is Kyle Waide from the Atlanta
Community Food Bank.
Mr. Johnson. Thank you.
Mr. Waide. Our view about how we are trying to create
economic opportunity for our team is that we believe we are
more successful when our employees are engaged, and they are
engaged when we are demonstrating how much we value them
through our professional development efforts and the way in
which we compensate them and provide them with benefits.
We have continued to develop new training programs to help
people access new opportunities here at the food bank, like a
driver's apprentice program. We have continued to provide
supplemental pay or hazard pay to our employees even now, 12
months after the onset of the pandemic. We have a minimum
salary at the food bank of $15 an hour. We provide extensive
health benefits, and we think it is critically important for us
to retain our employees, and keep them engaged for us to be
successful. I think those practices, if practiced broadly by
the private-sector, can really benefit lower income workers who
face the brunt of food insecurity, not just during times of
crisis, but all the time.
Mr. Johnson. Mr. Waide, well said.
Thank you, and I yield back.
The Chairman. Thank you very much, Congressman Johnson.
And now I will recognize Mrs. Hayes from Connecticut for 5
minutes.
Mrs. Hayes. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and thank you to the
witnesses for being here today, and for holding this incredibly
important hearing on food insecurity.
Every community in our country has seen the impact of
astronomical hunger over the past year. Nationally, we have
heard that food insecurity could be impacting as many as 50
million Americans, including 17 million children. That number
is so large that it is almost inconceivable. To put it in
perspective, it is about 13 times the population of the State
of Connecticut.
Yesterday in Congress, we passed the historic American
Rescue Plan to begin to address this crisis by continuing the
crucial 15 percent increase to SNAP, bolstering SNAP online
purchasing programs, and supporting critical child nutrition
programs like WIC, pandemic EBT, and providing needed funds to
ensure seniors have regular nutritious meals.
As the Chairwoman of the NODO Subcommittee, I intend to
continue lifting up this vitally important work and
improvements to Federal nutrition programs, and working with
the Ranking Member and the Subcommittee Members to address
hunger before it strikes.
My question today is for Mr. Waide. There is a
misconception about the type of person who typically struggles
with food insecurity. In your testimony, you described
increased demand at the Atlanta Food Bank due to the pandemic.
Can you speak to the demographics and the changing demographics
of the clients you have served throughout the past year?
Mr. Waide. Well, thank you for the question. First of all,
this food insecurity crisis that has been exacerbated by the
pandemic has really touched all communities far and wide, and
we have seen a dramatic increase in the number of people who
are experiencing food insecurity for the first time, who are
coming to food pantries for the first time. Thirty-five to 40
percent of the people that we are serving are doing so for the
first time in their lives.
That said, we also know that communities that were already
vulnerable prior to the pandemic have experienced this rise in
food insecurity more severely. Communities of color, especially
Black and Latinx communities, have disproportionately
experienced these challenges. We know that rural communities
have as well, and fundamentally, it is a challenge facing
families who typically work in lower income, lower wage jobs.
Our prototypical client base or client household is a family
with kids where somebody is working or trying to get back to
work, and simply they cannot make the math work in their day-
to-day lives. The long-term solution to that is how do we
create more economic opportunity for those families, while
providing them the supports they need to establish themselves
in higher paying jobs and opportunities.
Mrs. Hayes. Thank you. I think that is a very important
point to make. Many of the people who we have seen visiting our
food banks are people who are working a job and just trying to
make ends meet, and they can't get the bottom line to balance
out.
Mr. Waide, how would you describe the influx of funding,
commodities, and waivers from the COVID relief packages--how
have they bolstered your ability at the Atlanta Food Bank and
other community organizations to combat hunger in Georgia, and
how do you think Congress can continue to build on the progress
that we have made thus far?
Mr. Waide. We could not have done what we have done without
the support of those Federal programs. Our food bank is
distributing 65 percent more food today than we did prior to
the pandemic. We will complete this fiscal year having
distributed close to 120 million pounds of food, and the
funding that we have also received, not just through Federal
programs, but through generous philanthropic support from the
private-sector, has allowed us to respond so aggressively.
We know that this crisis is not going to be over any time
soon. We expect higher levels of food insecurity well beyond
2021, and so, for us to continue to respond to this elevated
level of demand, we need ongoing access to food support from
Federal programs. For us, the TEFAP Program has been critically
important. This is product that we have a well-established
supply chain for accessing and distributing. The Farmers to
Families Food Box Program has also been critically important,
and we support finding ways to sustain that program while
making important improvements. The improvements that we would
recommend around the Food Box Program are really making it more
long-term sustainable and improving some of the execution
around the program. There is a lot of churn in the distributors
that are selected to operate the program, meaning we are
reinventing the supply chain with each new round of funding. We
are also engaging a lot of partners who don't have real
experience in this work, and we would urge the USDA and the
Committee to consider making changes to the Food Box Program so
that it operates more like TEFAP with the kind of
accountability measures that are in place there that allow us
to ensure that the food goes to the right place.
Mrs. Hayes. [presiding.] Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Waide.
I am sorry, my time has expired. Thank you. I am sorry, my
time has expired, but that is very helpful. Thank you.
First of all, I want to just apologize to my colleague, Mr.
DesJarlais for the mispronunciation of his name earlier.
I now recognize Mr. Moore from Alabama, followed by Mrs.
Bustos of Illinois.
I apologize. I now recognize Mr. Feenstra.
Mr. Feenstra. Thank you, Madam Chair, and thank you,
Ranking Member Thompson.
First, I want to thank each of our witnesses for their
testimony today. Hunger is an important issue to examine, and
we know the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted hunger in many, many
ways.
Iowa's 4th Congressional District is one of the leading
districts for agriculture production in the nation, supplying
beef, pork, eggs, dairy, turkey, and more to our nation's food
supply. I know farmers in my district are passionate about the
role they play in feeding the world, and know firsthand the
responsibilities they have in affordable, predictable, and safe
food supply oftentimes goes unnoticed.
This question is to Mr. Duvall. Mr. Duvall, at the
beginning of the pandemic, we saw supply chain disruptions and
bulk purchases of food at grocery stores that resulted in some
shelves of food at grocery stores to be empty. For example,
entire meat sections were empty of all products at many stores;
beef, chicken, pork, turkey completely sold out. For some
families, this likely meant that they were unable to access
foods they would normally purchase for their families, or had
to look towards more expensive and unusual products to purchase
for their families.
I believe it is important that we examine what could have
been done to prevent a situation like this from taking place,
and proactively think about situations in the future that could
impact the regular supply of food products in our grocery
stores.
Mr. Duvall, could you discuss any ideas the American Farm
Bureau may have about how to better secure our supply chain to
ensure product supply disruptions don't happen again, and
number two, could you also discuss any threats to our
agriculture supply that you believe this Committee should be
looking at in the future, like African swine fever, foot-and-
mouth disease, bird flu, et cetera, that could have potential
causes for disruptions as we move forward in society? Thank
you.
Mr. Duvall. Well, to speak to the disruptions, we have
learned a lot. I know that all links of the food chain have
learned extremely a lot, and we have to be nimble to be able to
change as these issues come up. Hopefully we will never see
another pandemic, but I know we will be more prepared for it.
To realize that we really made that change in about 4 months
was pretty amazing how resilient our food supply chain really
is. But we have learned a lot and--but if you think about
putting in things to make--the things that we have been
implementing, it slowed the system down. And when you slow the
system down, it is not as efficient and it costs more. There is
a balance between how much are we willing to spend trying to
get it there, and it is mostly in processing, of course, not at
the farm level, processing. How much are we willing to spend
and how much of that is going to be passed on to people at the
grocery store, and what does that do to hunger? It makes it
worse. So, to slow it down is expensive.
Speaking to the farmer, what we can do to the farm and make
sure that that food is always there? Our risk management
programs in the farm bill are absolutely crucial. It is the
cornerstone on the farm bill, and we need to make sure that we
streamline the approval process of the new products that come
out to help us be more competitive in the world and to stay on
the cutting edge, so that we can be efficient.
Mr. Feenstra. Thank you, Mr. Duvall, and I just wanted to
say, my family works very hard on a cattle and hog farm in
northwest Iowa, and you know, it was really a scary time when
March and April hit, and all of a sudden we had to make big
decisions because the packing plants were closed, and there was
no meat or produce on the shelves.
I just hope, I learned a lot, but when it comes to African
swine flu or bird flu, can you talk about how we should be
proactive in those areas? Because that could be the next thing.
We had it with COVID, but now there are other storm clouds on
the horizon that could do the same things.
Mr. Duvall. You are exactly right. When HPAI came through
with poultry--I am in the poultry industry. It was great
communications between universities and State Departments of
Agriculture and the Federal Government. We just need to make
sure that all those plans are there, and of course, I have
mentioned this many times. The importance of research and
development dollars to make sure that we are ready to vaccinate
or do whatever we have to do to protect our animals and the
people as we move forward.
Mr. Feenstra. Thank you, Mr. Duvall, and I yield back.
Mrs. Hayes. Thank you.
I now recognize Mrs. Bustos of Illinois.
Mrs. Bustos. All right, thank you, Madam Chair.
Mr. Hodel, thanks for your testimony before the Committee
today.
Last summer, I took a virtual tour of Midwest's warehouse
in Peoria, and got to meet some of your wonderful team members.
One issue that came up during the conversations that I had
there was the issue of storage, and with the Farmers to
Families Food Boxes, many of the food banks and pantries didn't
have the infrastructure that was needed so they could keep
perishable commodities fresh. We heard this from other places
as well. My question is did the Midwest Food Bank have the cold
storage infrastructure that you needed to keep items like milk
and eggs and meat fresh? And as part of the Farmers to Families
Food Box Program, did you receive an allotment of funds for
storage and distribution?
Mr. Hodel. Yes, thank you, Mrs. Bustos, for the question.
In general, yes, we did have adequate capacity. Midwest
Food Bank has worked hard to ensure our freezer and cooler
capacity size is adequate as we build and expand our
facilities. We did bring on additional storage. We were able to
purchase some additional external trailers or seed containers,
so we added some capacity in the midst. In some cases, we were
blessed to do that with some private funding and support. In
other cases, we did see some CARES dollars get extended out to
the food bank that allowed us to put that cold storage and
capacity in place.
Like anything with the disruption, we kind of had to modify
our modes of operation multiple times in real time. One of the
things that we did to accommodate for that was to increase the
frequency of our distribution. Knowing our agencies could not
hold the items, we would increase their pick-up two, three
times a week so that they could take what they could hold and
distribute within a day, and come back the next day. Those were
some things from an operational perspective that we just had to
be nimble and work our way through.
Mrs. Bustos. How do you see that, as far as the cold
storage, going forward? Do you still have additional needs, and
if you could even broaden that beyond just your own
organization, what you are hearing from your colleagues as far
as what the need is for cold storage?
Mr. Hodel. Yes, I think that is always the prized space in
the warehouse is the cold storage, and it varies. It varies
across the food banks that we have or the food banks that I
visit. I think support for the wholesale food banks to have
that infrastructure in place would certainly be welcome funding
support, because we know that those dollars translate in
holding nutritious food. And so, those dollars really at the
end-user client result in that they get a more healthier food
item, because we were able to have it in cold storage.
And likewise, I think the granting opportunities available
for even our agencies, there are thousands of pantries across
the U.S. that would benefit from additional coolers and
additional freezers. We try to connect them with those
resources as well. It is both at the wholesale food bank level,
but also at the retail food pantry level that that benefit
would help.
Mrs. Bustos. Thank you, Mr. Hodel.
A follow-up question. The Midwest Food Bank serves a large
portion of central Illinois, including parts of the
Congressional district that I serve. What are some of the
unique challenges that you have faced in delivering meals to
more of the rural areas in our state?
Mr. Hodel. Yes, the infrastructure for people to get to our
food banks--and so, we have just had to kind of extend
ourselves out in terms of our distribution sites. But, it is
also the challenge of just knowing who is in need. Sometimes
them raising their hand or getting a good contact with them, we
have found it requires kind of multiple trips into a region and
setting up a mobile pantry, then the word starts to spread. And
so, it is through repetition and some consistency that is key,
but at the same time, making sure you have product there that
they can take home and use, and it is a benefit for them and
their family.
So, it is a journey that we continue to learn, but we
certainly have our eyes and ears open to how we can best serve
kind of all of the rural areas equally.
Mrs. Bustos. All right, very good. Thank you, Mr. Hodel.
My time is about ready to expire, and with that, I yield
back, Madam Chair.
Mr. Hodel. Thank you.
Mrs. Hayes. Thank you, Mrs. Bustos.
I now recognize Mr. Moore from Alabama.
Mr. Moore. Thank you, Madam Chair.
I just have a question for Mr. Hodel. If we have been told
over the years to give a man a fish, you will feed him for a
day. You teach him how to fish, you will feed him for a
lifetime. I was just curious. I know food banks have evolved
over the last few years and you all have made some great
changes and adjustments, especially considering this pandemic
we have been facing. Are we working to connect families with
programs other than just SNAP? There are some training
programs, employment opportunities, and the one thing I picked
up on this call is there are plenty of opportunities for people
to work, and I am sure there are some people coming through
there if we could coordinate the training, not just feeding
them, but teaching them, so down the road they have
opportunities to have employment, and they are not so dependent
on us to feed them. I think that that is the direction that I
would love to see us go: less dependency on government, more
independency for people out there.
I am just curious if you guys have had an opportunity to
connect socially with other groups and organizations maybe and
through the SNAP Program, the training programs to allow these
people to get off of SNAP and get on their own feet? I think
that is--at the end of the day, government programs are great
safety nets, but I don't want them to be spider webs. I don't
want to trap people in those programs. I want freedom and
opportunities out there. Is that something we can do, Eric, or
do you all see us going in that direction at some point? And
Mr. Waide, feel free to weigh in as well. I am just curious as
to your input on this.
Mr. Hodel. Yes, thank you for the question, Mr. Moore.
We do certainly try to connect those individuals that are
in need, and to get them plugged in. One of the things that was
a benefit during the pandemic, as businesses had to close or do
furloughs, we provided a place for their employees to come and
their employers encouraged them to come and volunteer, so they
were able to still get paid by their company, but they were
volunteering and they were giving back to the community. That
was an example of probably keeping somebody from slipping into
that poverty level, by keeping them employed but also giving
them purpose and putting them to work, so they knew what it was
to serve the community.
And so, those are the types of creative programs that we
try to be open and partner with, the business and the
supporters of the food bank.
Mr. Moore. Well great. That is a great answer. I am glad
that you do that. I think sometimes we have to think on our
feet, and certainly I know those of us in the private-sector,
and here in government, obviously, in the last few years have
had some challenges, so anything we can do to get people to
work and to give them opportunities, I appreciate that. I must
say, hopefully we can start training them to work outside just
our organization, but in the private-sector because one
gentleman on here said he had 1,300 job openings a month. They
are hiring people, and I know that Zippy said he needed some
people on the farm all the time, so anything we can do to
produce opportunities and train people to connect with just the
food bank for the training programs, I would be supportive of
that. Thank you.
Mr. Waide. If I may, Representative Moore, I would love to
add to the context here.
At our food bank, we certainly agree that helping people
get access to increased opportunity through higher paying jobs
is an important part of solving for food insecurity. Just
yesterday I was down at Atlanta Technical College where we are
partnering with them to distribute food to students who are
trying to access greater opportunities. We work with Goodwill
and other workforce development organizations. And so, that is
really important.
At the same time, it is important to understand that these
kinds of transitions are not a light switch, and that it takes
time for families to make such transitions. And in the
meantime, we have to support them so that they can sustain the
effort that is required to get the training they need to access
new kinds of opportunities. So, that is the first important
point.
The second important point is it is important to also
recognize that there is a tremendous amount of turnover in the
people who access SNAP during normal times. In Georgia, the
average amount of time that people spend on SNAP is less than a
year, which means the program worked as it is intended. People
get on the program as they face crisis, and then as they regain
stability in their lives, they exit the program. Which is
exactly what we want for our food pantries as well, is to help
people transition out of a place of needing help and into a
place where they can provide for themselves.
Mr. Moore. Thank you, Mr. Waide. I appreciate the input. I
will say in my district, prior to the pandemic, we saw 15
percent user rate drop to 13 percent, so that is encouraging.
We like to see people getting on their own feet, so thank you
for what you do. We appreciate what you guys do and what you
are doing for our country and our hungries, as we call them.
Thank you all so much for your time. I yield back.
Mrs. Hayes. Thank you.
I now recognize Mr. Carbajal from California.
Mr. Carbajal. Thank you, Madam Chair, and thank you to all
the witnesses that are participating today.
Certainly, COVID-19 has forced millions of Americans into
economic uncertainty, unsure whether they will be able to keep
the roof over their heads or put food on the table.
Under the last Administration, USDA and SNAP emergency
allotments to bump existing SNAP households to the maximum
allotment. This meant that households already receiving the
maximum allotment, which are the lowest income SNAP households,
did not benefit from emergency allotments. Mr. Waide, can you
talk about how this policy might have affected the people in
the communities your food bank serves, and whether you think it
would be beneficial for those communities if SNAP households
already receiving the maximum allotment also received emergency
allotments?
Mr. Waide. Well, thank you for the question. What we know
is that some of the families who have been most impacted by the
current crisis are families with children. They are sort of
facing the crisis on two fronts. On the one hand, they are
facing economic challenges related to losses of jobs. On the
other hand, they have kids who ordinarily would be physically
in school and they are not able to go to school physically.
They are not getting access to the meals in the school, and it
is hard for parents to leave the kids at home to go to work.
And so, those households are often the maximum beneficiaries in
terms of the SNAP Program, so we do believe that helping those
families have access to more benefits would be helpful, because
those are the families that are experiencing, by far, the
greatest challenges.
Mr. Carbajal. Thank you very much.
Mr. Duvall, in your testimony, you discussed the ingenuity
of farmers across the nation, and the important role those
changes have played in fighting food insecurity. Can you talk
about some of the obstacles that farmers faced in trying to
donate food early in the pandemic? How can we make it easier to
connect farmers who have extra food with those who are in need?
Mr. Duvall. Yes, sir. Thank you for the question.
A lot of our farmers' markets just disappeared, because
they were going to food services rather than to grocery stores,
and they had to adjust for that. The Farmers to Families Food
Boxes was a great place to help those farmers that lost their
markets go straight into that program. Programs like that and
ones that are sustainable in the future that are open to all
size farmers--I heard the combination box spoke of earlier,
when the funds are slim, that kind of takes the ability for
small to medium-sized farmers to be involved in that. We need
to have a steady flow of funds going into programs like that so
that our farmers can be prepared to market to that program.
Mr. Carbajal. Thank you so much.
Mr. Edenfield, your testimony mentions the partnership
Wayfield Foods has with the SNAP-Ed funded community agency,
Open Hand Atlanta. How has the pandemic affected that
partnership and the nutrition education programs offered?
Mr. Edenfield. Well, it has affected it because that is
one, I say one on one. We have groups where there are 10 to 15
people, and so, there hadn't--since the pandemic, there really
hasn't been any of that at all because of the opportunity to
distance and it just kind of threw that off track, along with
some other things there. Really, for the last year, there
really hasn't been any movement in that. It is a great program.
I think it is all volunteer, the people that come to it, and as
far as spending wisely, not only healthy eating, but to get the
most out of your money, feeding a family of four on $10, and
planning for it to be a healthy meal. It is a great partnership
and a great plan, but there hasn't been anything going on there
in the pandemic.
Mr. Carbajal. Thank you very much, Mr. Edenfield.
Madam Chair, I yield back.
Mrs. Hayes. Thank you. I now recognize the Ranking Member
of the Nutrition Subcommittee, Mr. Bacon from Nebraska.
Mr. Bacon. Well, thank you, Madam Chair. I look forward to
working with you on this great Subcommittee, and working as a
strong team to do what is right for our country and our
communities.
I appreciate our panelists today. Thank you for sharing
your wisdom and your perspective.
We have the greatest economy in the world, but yet, we need
to have a strong safety net that is effective and efficient.
The best poverty program and the best way to fight food
insecurity is a growing economy and jobs. We can't lose sight
of that as well. Prior to COVID, the largest wage earners were
seeing increases in income, the higher percentage and the
highest wage earners. We were seeing that poverty gap close for
the first time in about 2 decades. Unemployment was at a 50
year low. Our goal right now should be to defeat COVID, and get
our economy back in high gear, and we are on that track,
particularly with the vaccines.
With that said, we are always going to need a strong safety
net to ensure the most needy among us have access to nutritious
food, and out of that, one of our main goals is to have a smart
safety net program that is giving a hand up as a primary focus.
Helping folks become independent for themselves and their
families is an important priority.
So, Mr. Hodel, your testimony mentions helping recipients
for a season, but not a lifetime. Tell us more about that--and
you may have done this a little bit in some previous
questioning, but we have--are going on our fourth vote so we
have been in and out. So, hopefully we are not being redundant.
But I would appreciate any statistics or recommendations that
you have, and how we could perhaps modify SNAP that would help
with that goal of making it a seasonal program versus a
lifetime program. I would appreciate your perspective.
Mr. Hodel. Yes, thank you for your question, Congressman
Bacon.
Food insecurity, we have talked about this a little bit,
hovered around 11 percent for 2000 to 2007. The economic
downturn in 2008 spiked the food insecurity back to 15 percent,
and so to your point, the economic disruption really drives an
increase in the food insecurity, and so, that 10 year journey
of progress we are now back on. We have to work our way to try
to help fight food insecurity to get it back to where it was
pre-pandemic, or even better.
Our independent organization serves pantries who welcome
anyone in with a need, and our clients do the same. And so, our
clients can change over the course of a month, and their
clients can do the same. Specifically, we have had situations
where we talk about a hand up or bringing people up. We have
had clients that have transitioned into volunteers and even
transitioned into employees at Midwest Food Bank. You can see
the food relief support that they got to get their family on
track, the ability to be in action and the purpose of working
or volunteering, then developed skills that they were able to
really demonstrate that turn into an employment opportunity for
this person.
And so, I think that is a journey that we can kind of work
with people, and it is individual by individual and it is
family by family. We continue to survey our agencies to make
sure that we are staying in touch with them and their needs,
and we want to make sure that we are providing them the best
service, the right products, and then providing holistic
support. And so, this an area of focus of the food bank as we
continue to go forward.
Mr. Bacon. Thank you.
My next question is to the entire panel, or whoever would
like to speak up, not that everybody has to.
We put in about $40 billion in additional nutritional
programming and funds over the five previous COVID relief
bills. Were any of you surveyed about these needs or asked to
provide testimony as we developed the spending? If so, how, and
by whom? Thank you.
Mr. Hodel. Yes, I guess I will answer the question. I
wasn't surveyed, but certainly would be willing to be a part of
the solution, going forward.
Mr. Bacon. Right. Thank you very much, Mr. Hodel.
Any of our other panelists? Did anybody reach out to you
about what the needs would be when we came up with this $40
billion?
Mr. McBrayer. This is Max McBrayer. We were not surveyed,
nor was there any outreach. But as previous, we would be happy
to----
Mr. Bacon. Thank you, sir.
With that, Madam Chair, I will yield back.
Mrs. Hayes. Thank you. I now recognize Ms. Craig of
Minnesota.
Ms. Craig. Thank you so much, Madam Chair, and thanks again
for holding this incredibly important hearing.
My family and I are frequent volunteers at the Open Door in
Eagan, Minnesota, and it has just been extraordinary to see how
many ways across Minnesota our food pantries have figured out
how to distribute food during this pandemic. The Open Door
Mobile Pantry has allowed the organization to distribute food
at more locations throughout Dakota County. On the other hand,
Open Door found that during the pandemic, they were lacking
other critical pantry infrastructure, like extra refrigeration
to keep up with the growing demand.
Mr. Waide, let me start with a first question for you. What
do you see as the greatest infrastructure challenges at our
charitable food distribution sites, and how can the Federal
Government be a better partner in addressing these
infrastructure needs?
Mr. Waide. Well, thank you for the question.
What we have seen in metro Atlanta and north Georgia is
that when we can make critical infrastructure investments,
particularly in freezer cooler capacity, not just in our food
bank, but in our vast network of community-based feeding
program partners, then we can dramatically increase access to
perishable products, which are often more nutritious. And so,
investments from the Federal Government, from USDA to help grow
this capacity beyond the way that we have grown it already will
help us take advantage of all those great products that our
agricultural community is producing in surplus and get it to
families who need it.
Ms. Craig. I appreciate that, and I guess I am going to
stick with you here for one more question then. Also in my
district, Neighbors Inc., which is based in South St. Paul,
provides emergency assistance and supportive assistance
programs to low-income community members in northern Dakota
County. I have heard from Neighbors Inc. that those who were
once volunteers turned into clients over the course of the
COVID-19 health crisis.
Mr. Waide, you talked about the importance of your
volunteers who pack food boxes, organize food distributions,
and address other needs. How has the pandemic affected your
ability to retain a volunteer workforce? And of course, we are
all looking forward to the day when those vaccines are in arms
and we can get back to volunteering in our community.
Mr. Waide. Well, again, another great question. The high-
level view on that, without getting too in the weeds, is we
have been really inspired by the degree to which volunteers
have continued to participate in our work. Many of them are
seniors and put themselves at risk to continue to do that work.
They are doing it out in the community to get food to people in
need.
That said, in our facility we have stopped utilizing
volunteers and have not resumed that yet, just as a way to
minimize risk inside our building. Not every food bank has done
that, but that is what we have done. And we were really
fortunate to have the National Guard step in to replace that
volunteer capacity to help us continue to do our work.
Volunteer access is critical, especially critical out in the
community in local pantries, and we are doing everything we can
to help connect volunteer labor to those frontline pantries so
that they can continue to serve the community.
Ms. Craig. Well, I appreciate your testimony today, and all
of you. I will just add as a final remark here that, I know I
visited almost every food distribution center. Sometimes cars
were backed up 1 or 2 miles for months in my Congressional
district and across Minnesota. I know as our COVID relief
packages have been developed, that input from a number of us
has been obviously received and we have been very focused on
making sure that the COVID relief packages address food
insecurity in our country.
So, thank you very much to all of you, and Madam Chair, I
yield back.
Mrs. Hayes. Thank you, Ms. Craig.
I now recognize Mrs. Cammack from Florida.
Mrs. Cammack. Thank you, Madam Chair. I appreciate it, and
thank you to all of our witnesses here joining us virtually. I
know that we have had votes called throughout this hearing, so
I have been in and out, but again, I appreciate an opportunity
to talk about this very important issue.
As we all know, 2020 was unlike any year that we have ever
experienced, and this program has been a godsend to many folks,
both as producers, but also as consumers. I am excited to talk
about that here today, and like Representative Craig, I visited
several food banks in my district and have talked with folks
and gotten their feedback, so I am excited to hear from our
witnesses here today.
Particularly, I heard from food banks and other nonprofits
in our district who struggled at the onset of the pandemic to
provide food to our constituents. They report that the Food Box
Program really is a lifeline for our communities, and there are
ways that we can further develop and streamline this.
But despite the important achievements of this program, I
have also heard from several of our local producers about their
struggle to participate in the program. The program, in earlier
rounds, purchasing gave several of our local producers the
opportunity to provide produce only, meat only, and dairy only
boxes. However, when we moved to the combination boxes, that
raised logistical costs to the point where many producers
reported they could no longer participate in the program, in
addition to other hurdles that they couldn't overcome. It is
disappointing to hear from farms within my own district that
after delivering nearly one million produce only boxes to
Americans in need, they were unable to participate in later
rounds that required combination boxes. What is even more, even
as I have spoken to those who have continued to participate in
the program, they have struggled amid extremely short,
inflexible turnaround times with suppliers expected to ship out
boxes only 7 days after being awarded a bid.
As we move forward with improvements, I hope we can
remember that this program is called the Farmers to Families
Food Box Program, and its success is determined not just by how
many boxes are delivered to Americans in need, but also how
many of America's agricultural producers, big and small, are
supported through this challenging time.
So, with that, I am going to jump into some questions for
Mr. Zippy Duvall. Zippy, it is good to see you. Your testimony
told a similar story of many farmers around the country who
care not just for producing food, but also ensuring that it
gets to those most in need. And that being said, I have heard
from many of Florida's producers about the difficulties
associated with the switch under the Food Box Program from a
produce only, dairy only, meat only box to the combination box.
From what you and your members have seen, what effect did
the shift to a combination box have on your producers who
participated in the Food Box Program as a whole?
Mr. Duvall. Well, it did restrict the use of the program
for our small- to medium-sized producers, and we heard earlier
that food banks really work better when they get it in bulk.
But our smaller guys can't do that, and those hurdles were put
up. Well, we know that USDA was faced with a problem to be able
to stretch the dollars, not knowing that there would be
additional funds put into the program. They had to stretch
those dollars as far as they could to feed as many people as
they could, and we think that is why the combination box came
into effect. Knowing that there is going to be a steady stream
of dollars in a program like that, and not moving the goalpost
when it comes to regulations that you have to abide by to get
in the program. Set it up to where the farmers can get used to
how they are going to deliver it, and allow them to produce it.
But we got to keep in mind, it is a farmer to family food
box, and the ones that got hurt the most were our small- and
medium-sized farms in that situation.
Mrs. Cammack. And as a follow-up to that--so, I heard some
of our local producers talk about how they came across folks
that were bidding on this and participating in the program
using foreign produce that had been dumped on our markets. Have
you heard that same thing?
Mr. Duvall. I heard that. I can't qualify it, but I did
hear that.
Mrs. Cammack. Okay. That kind of defeats the whole local
domestic produce to our communities in need issue, again, and
then as a follow-up, so how would you recommend moving forward
that we can improve this? I think there is a logistical push
that we are seeing on the recipient's side which would help
streamline a little bit, and that both Eric and Ron have spoken
to. But from the farmer and the producer side, what can we do
to streamline to ensure that more farmers, especially our
smaller and midsize producers, are able to participate in the
program, regardless of where they are at geographically?
Mr. Duvall. We got to make sure that we understand the
small family farm. It is a small business, doesn't have an HR
department, doesn't have a stream of lawyers. It doesn't have
anyone that is out there helping them abide by the rules that
are put in front of them to participate. We got to make it
simple. We got to streamline it, and we got to shape it so it
will fit all sizes of our farms, and make sure that it is
funded.
Mrs. Cammack. Excellent. Thank you so much, Zippy. I think
my time has expired, and I appreciate it.
With that, I yield back.
Mr. Duvall. Thank you.
The Chairman [presiding.] Thank you very much, and now I
recognize Congresslady Schrier of Washington.
Ms. Schrier. Thank you so much, Mr. Chairman, and thank you
very much to our witnesses. I really appreciate all of you
being here to discuss the very real and pervasive issue of
hunger in America.
Now, the Feeding America network of food banks, which is
the largest charitable food assistance network nationwide, has
experienced average increases of almost 55 percent in demand
for food assistance since the start of the pandemic, and in
some areas, far more. Last year, food banks provided six
billion meals to people in need. Now, the number of children
not getting enough to eat is ten times higher than it was
before the pandemic, and research by the University of
Washington showed that in my home state, about \1/3\ of
households surveyed are now food-insecure. Fifty-nine percent
of these households include children, and people of color were
1\1/2\ times more likely to be food-insecure. As a
pediatrician, I cannot overstate how important it is to ensure
our children not only have access to food, which is clearly the
first priority, but also that the foods are healthy and
nutritious and varied, and ideally, local. Poor nutrition is
linked to poor school performance, and also to later chronic
diseases, ranging from diabetes to heart disease.
So, one of the ways that USDA tried to tackle this was what
we have talked about a lot here, the Farmers to Families Food
Box Program, and in fact, I heard from multiple small farmers
and co-ops who participated in the first round who loved this
program. The food banks called it a lifeline, and the farmers,
as they experienced full scale market failures because of
school and restaurant closures, were really saved by this
program. However, there are unresolved problems and later
issues that Representative Cammack just talked about. I led a
bipartisan letter with the Washington State delegation
outlining some of the changes needed, and she touched on some
of these, being, kind of involving large farms and not small
ones, having really big boxes that were too much for food bank
refrigeration systems, lack of notification when things were
coming, shipping food from across the country and leaving out
our small and local farmers, and many of these small and local
farmers were really just shut out in the later rounds, leaving
their farm circumstances really in dire situations, despite a
really well-intended program.
And so, I was wondering, at best the Food Box Program
provides this unique opportunity for USDA to catalyze just an
extraordinarily effective response to food insecurity,
developing, getting food from farms to families, but as my
colleague just discussed, leaving the smaller farms out. I was
wondering, what steps, Mr. Duvall, might you consider in future
rounds to make sure things like smaller packaging, separating
perishables from nonperishables, in meeting the needs of food
banks might be considered?
Mr. Duvall. Well, you have touched on it some yourself in
your question. We have to go in and investigate what happened
between the beginning of the program and what was happening at
the end, and fix those problems and make sure that all size
farms have the opportunity to participate in that.
In any program, when you make it more difficult, the small
family farm gets left out.
Ms. Schrier. That is right. Now, I have a follow-up
question, and maybe this one is best for Mr. Waide.
In the last Congress, I introduced a bill, H.R. 6724,
Farmers Feeding Families Coronavirus Response Act that actually
would be a bit more nimble. It would channel money to the
states, and then the states do have relationships with the
small and medium farmers, and with the food banks. And so, I
was just wondering, Mr. Waide, can you--have you thought about
having food delivered more on a small scale, getting the states
involved and distributing it more like the TEFAP Program?
Mr. Waide. So, thank you for the question. We certainly
think that there are advantages to the TEFAP system that should
be integrated in the way that we think about a food box
program. I think forward looking visibility on how long the
program is going to last is really important, having
consistency in the participants. And in particular, the issue
you are raising is really important of--and that Mr. Duvall is
raising is getting great input from people at the local level
about how the program can work better.
We have a great relationship, in part thanks to Mr. Duvall,
with Georgia farmers across the food banks serving Georgia.
Commissioner Gary Black here in Georgia helped facilitate that
relationship, and there is a really strong community in Georgia
of all of those agricultural participants. Speaking to them at
the local level will help ensure the program can be sustainable
and meet both of its objectives of getting food to people while
also supporting farmers.
Ms. Schrier. Thank you very much. The states have great
relationships.
I am out of time. I wanted to thank you, and I yield back,
although I don't think I have anything to yield.
The Chairman. Thank you very much.
And now we will hear from Mr. Baird of Indiana. You are
recognized for 5 minutes.
Mr. Baird. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and I really appreciate
all the witnesses being here today and sharing their expertise
about the food insecurity.
I am going to start with Mr. Hodel. I have thoroughly
enjoyed the opportunity to learn more about your organization
and the model that you have used and the way you do business.
In terms of food security, each and every one of us in this
hearing are probably fortunate compared to some on the global
average. I have particularly enjoyed learning about how your
organization is so successful, including counties that are in
my district here in Indiana, and through such a massive
volunteer base and without dependence on government assistance.
And most striking to me as a note I found reported on your
website that 99 percent of every dollar your organization
receives is spent on program funding and goes back to those in
need, and whom the donors feel that those funds should go to.
Mr. Hodel, would you share your perspective on how your
model of doing business might be expanded to deliver these
quality foods that we produce in this country to the food
desert areas?
Mr. Hodel. Yes, thank you, Mr. Congressman. I appreciate
the question.
We are thankful to be able to serve in Indiana. We have a
great division there, and a great partnership with leaders, and
so it is a team effort that we really are privileged to be able
to serve the greater Indiana community, and counties and
individuals.
Our model is really built off of volunteers. Volunteers are
our secret sauce. Mr. Waide talked about that a little bit,
their reliance on the volunteers as well, and so we are
tremendously blessed and we do a lot to train, empower, and
educate our volunteers so that they can play critical roles
within our locations. Each of our divisions operates with about
four paid staff members, and so from there, they provide the
leadership to then have core volunteers, and then also to lead
volunteer groups that come into the facility. A big part of our
efficiency model goes to the credit of the community giving
back, and I think that is also part of our mindset. We are
serving a community, and we are looking to the community to
help them give back to those that are in need. And so, it is
definitely a community focus that we bring in to our locations,
and we try to be open and flexible with a variety of volunteer
opportunities, as well as a variety of volunteer times. And so,
we try to be flexible for those individuals to come in and
help.
We are also blessed with major corporations that have
volunteerism as a part of their mission, and so, a lot of our
locations that we operate out of have a fantastic relationship
with the corporations that also provide the volunteer base to
the food bank. That is probably our main driving force that
allows us to operate efficiently.
The next level then would be the donated food. Our
partnerships with food manufacturers, food distributors,
grocery chains, et cetera, we are incredibly thankful and
blessed to be able to have that donated food that we take and
we rescue and we bring into the food bank and make sure that we
have it reorganized and ready for our pantries.
So, that is probably the two-pronged approach in terms of
our model, and our focus on efficiency.
Mr. Baird. Well, thank you for that.
I want to move to Mr. McBrayer now. In your testimony you
referenced the important role that convenience stores play in
somewhat of a--like a missing middle for those further removed
from larger grocers, which is really those that are living in
food deserts. I commend the efforts your stores have undertaken
to provide healthier options, and to be a resource for our
communities and your communities in providing quality food.
So, my question really comes, Mr. McBrayer, do you think
that there is opportunity to leverage the National Network of
Convenience Stores as a potential distribution net [inaudible]?
Mr. McBrayer. Congressman, I missed a good portion of what
you said. Would you mind repeating?
The Chairman. Yes, that was a very good question, because
that is sort of what we are looking for in this Committee, how
we can solve this problem.
Mr. McBrayer, did you hear it?
Mr. McBrayer. I am going to take a stab. I heard about half
of it.
Mr. Thompson. Jim, you may want to turn off your camera to
get good audio.
Mr. Baird. Okay.
The Chairman. Could you ask that again, Jim, your question?
Mr. Baird. Now can you hear me?
The Chairman. Yes, we can hear you.
Mr. Baird. Okay. I just, Mr. McBrayer, you referenced in
the importance of the convenience stores and that you serve
maybe kind of a missing middle for those further removed from
the larger groceries, and so that really ends up being the
people we are talking about that end up in the food deserts.
And so, I commend your efforts. And so, to get to my question,
do you think there is an opportunity to leverage the National
Network of Convenience Stores as a potential distribution
network for helping deliver these high-quality foods,
particularly to those food deserts? Did you get all that?
Mr. McBrayer. Yes, I did. Thank you.
Yes, our convenience stores--and I am speaking of RaceTrac
and RaceWay, provide that last mile, which is a term of art
these days, to meet people where there is need, whether it be
at 4 o'clock in the afternoon or 4 o'clock in the morning.
The convenience store industry is about 160,000 individual
stores in this country. It is absolutely an important idea to
talk with our trade organizations of which we are members of
three, and say how might we do this and get participation in
that discussion, because we are the last mile. People who shop
at grocery stores--we are not the solution to the whole
problem. We are the point at which people can interface quickly
and with dignity and obtain food to take home and eat. We can
also provide more, as we talk about how we might be willing and
able to do that under some type of Congressional approach.
I would like to say that the SNAP Program, as we see it, is
functioning very, very well. It is not complete, but there are
opportunities, going forward, and we would avail ourselves of
that.
Mr. Baird. So, thank you. I can't see the clock on how much
time I might have left, but if there are any other witnesses
that would like to testify, feel free to do so, if I am not
over my time, Mr. Chairman.
The Chairman. Yes, you are, but, you have really hit on a
very good point, and it is the sort of thing that we are after
in this hearing. And we can follow up on it, but if there are
any other panelists that might want to elaborate on this----
Mr. Baird. I yield back. I yield back.
The Chairman. Did you hear me?
Mr. Baird. Yes, yes.
The Chairman. Oh, you yielded back, but let me just take it
just a little bit further, because there may be, Mr. McBrayer,
in response to his inquiry about setting up a distribution
network. You see, people have to understand, convenience stores
are the lifeline for rural areas. Many of them don't have
Krogers or all the varieties that are in our urban centers. And
so, I am very interested in us following up on that, and your
question was a good one. And staff, you all write that down to
see how we might--and Mr. McBrayer, your answer was right on
target. And there may be a need that we in Congress can get
some added resources to fill in the gaps here. But I would like
to work with Mr. Baird.
All right. I like that one, and we will follow up with it.
Thank you for that.
And now, I will recognize Mr. Bishop of Georgia for 5
minutes.
Mr. Bishop. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman, and our
Ranking Member. Let me go back and be sure to welcome my good
friends from Georgia who are witnesses, Mr. Waide, Mr. Hodel,
Mr. Edenfield, and Mr. McBrayer, and of course, my friend of
long standing, Mr. Zippy Duvall. I want to also send a special
note of condolence to Mr. Edenfield on the passing of Mr. Moses
White and his wife from COVID, who for years were strong
advocate for grocery stores. We still grieve with you on the
loss of Mr. Moses White.
Let me get right to it. I can't see the clock, despite the
increasing food insecurity among our active-duty military
families during the pandemic, the service members basic
allowance for housing, the BAH, is treated as income for
determining SNAP eligibility, which results in military
families experiencing food insecurity, and being determined
ineligible for SNAP benefits. And Congress so far has been
unsuccessful in addressing this gap, either in the farm bill or
in the National Defense Authorization Act so, it has fallen to
the food bank networks and other charitable organizations to
perform the government's role in ensuring that America's
military families don't go hungry.
Today, the food pantries operate on or near every military
base in the U.S., including Fort Benning in my district, and a
Marine Corps Logistics Base in Albany.
So, Mr. Waide and Mr. Hodel, can you talk about the work
that your food banks and the other food banks in your area do
to serve the military families, and can you characterize the
need that you are seeing among this subpopulation?
Let me just go ahead and ask my second question, which will
be directed to Mr. Edenfield on rural grocery stores. Of
course, the latest estimates suggest that 1.1 million rural
households lack access to a vehicle, and they have low access
to supermarkets or grocery stores. They live over a mile away,
and some of the residents in my district like those in Crawford
County and Talbot County, the nearest grocery store is over 15
miles away. Mr. Edenfield, you can think about what can we do
to make it easier for small, rural counties to attract
investment and support for bringing grocery stores to the area?
Other residents that live in my district like in Columbus
or Albany, which are considered urban areas, they still are
almost \1/2\ hour from the nearest full-service grocery store.
Some of them are hosting pop-up grocery stores in trucks, but
this isn't a really sustainable solution for rural or urban
food deserts. What can we do to increase the number of
supermarkets in our rural and in our minority communities in
the urban food districts?
If Mr. Hodel and Mr. Waide will go first and save some time
for Mr. Edenfield, I would appreciate it.
Mr. Hodel. Go ahead, Mr. Waide, and then I will follow.
Mr. Waide. Great. I appreciate the question, Congressman,
and I think at our food bank, we certainly see a
disproportionate number of veterans accessing services
throughout our pantry network. We work with a variety of
community-based partners that in particular serve veteran
populations. We know that other food banks around the state, as
you mentioned, operate food pantries and food distributions
actually on site at bases located across the state. And we know
that this population faces unique challenges that we have to be
prepared to face.
For us at food banks, we are serving veterans in the way we
serve everybody, which is let's get them access to food. We
think we need to be creative as a country, as a network of food
banks to develop solutions to meet veterans where they are and
get them the access that they deserve.
Mr. Hodel. Yes, I will add in for Midwest Food Bank, a
couple points of interest. Our human resource director is a
Purple Heart veteran, and so we have a heart and an eye towards
our veterans and we appreciate their service for our country.
We also provide kind of a holistic opportunity where veteran
families will come in and utilize our facility and they will
have meetings around kind of reentering the workforce, and talk
about emotional topics like post traumatic stress disorder. We
allow that group to come in and operate their meetings out of
our facility, and then also provide that physical food service
to the veterans as well.
Those are a couple of things that we are doing and focused
on at Midwest Food Bank.
Mr. Bishop. I am particularly interested in the active-duty
military people who are usually low-grade, non-commissioned
officers who have families, and of course, since the SNAP
eligibility includes their BAH, they end up not being ruled
eligible so they end up having to come to food banks.
Mr. Hodel. Yes, no comment on that policy, but definitely a
comment on our desire to serve them as they come to the food
bank to make sure that they have the food that they need.
Mr. Bishop. Thank you both.
Mr. Edenfield, if I have any time--I can't see the clock.
Mr. Edenfield. Yes. First, Congressman Bishop, I want to
thank you for the condolences of Moses and Joyce. We miss them
dearly.
Now, on the rural grocery stores, that is a challenge and
it is hard to answer, because in the last 40, 50 years so much
of that is strictly farming, where at one time, as I mentioned
earlier, there was some small manufacturing works, garment
factories and something like that to help support those
communities. And now, there pretty well is farmers and farming
and the farm laborers. It is a numbers thing and it just takes
so much to be able to--even the small grocery store. It is
still going to be, unless something else can move into these
areas, or if there could be just a little more population, it
is going to be hard sometimes to get. And 15 to 20 miles is a
long ways to go.
I can understand that, but unfortunately, I don't know that
there is a quick and easy answer to it.
Mr. Bishop. You also have the issue in urban areas.
The Chairman. Time.
Mr. Bishop. Has my time expired?
The Chairman. Yes, it is a little over 2 minutes, my friend
from Albany. I didn't want to interrupt that line of questions
because, combined with what you are bringing up and what Mr.
Baird was talking about gets to the whole meat of why we have
held this hearing. We have to find creative ways to end this
hunger. And that starts with where people go to get the food.
Our food banks, our convenience stores, our grocery stores. And
we have to develop the mechanism and infrastructure where they
are.
Let me get to some other Members, and we will come back to
that point. Let's see. Mr. LaMalfa from California, you are
recognized for 5 minutes.
Mr. LaMalfa. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I appreciate the
time, and the kind way you conduct the Committee here.
Well, at the risk of maybe some redundancy since we have
been running back and forth between votes and who knows who has
asked what, I just have a couple thoughts here on how we are
doing things and how we can be more successful.
I was particularly interested, again, in furthering the
thought on the Farmers to Families Food Box Program, which
seemed to have pretty good success and very much so delivering
quality, fresh food that hadn't quite been as available in the
past, and it is, of course, domestically grown food. Can we
touch on that a little bit more, Mr. Hodel, on how that has
benefitted the food bank's ability to deliver a good quantity
and good quality of food to those in need?
Mr. Hodel. Thank you for the question.
We typically run with 4 to 5 weeks of supply, as we try to
look out and be prepared for our agencies, and we were running
at that level last January, February. And then the pandemic
hit, so we continued to be strong in our procurement. We
continued to lean into purchase of items to make sure that we
had our shelves stocked. But we saw our weeks of supplies dip
to 3.2 weeks of supply in April, and 2.6 weeks of supply in
May. And a conversation that I had with some other CEOs of food
banks, they were seeing the exact same scenario unfold.
For us, the Farmers to Families Food Box was a huge boost.
In June we returned--as that program became aligned, we
returned back to 4 weeks of supply. We could see very much in
our metrics what that value influx of food did in terms of
being able to supply to our agencies, and then let alone the
nutritional benefits. It has been talked about and commended
very well, the milk, the fresh produce, the meat and the
protein, the cheese, the dairy products, just tremendously well
received. Which again helps with that nutritional cycle
improvement for those that are in need.
Again, very appreciative and the feedback we got all the
way through our agencies and our clients was extremely positive
and thankful and grateful for the Farmers to Families Food Box.
Mr. LaMalfa. Mr. Hodel, I am not trying to put words in
your mouth, but how would you compare the quality of what was
coming in the food boxes versus the delivery of the freshest or
the highest quality food in past practice? Did this improve
that quality, as well as the quantity? You were talking about
getting back up to that timeline of a longer period of supply
on hand.
Mr. Hodel. Correct. I mean, when we look at our metrics in
terms of the percent of nutritional value of food that we
distributed, we saw almost a double digit increase with the
addition of that. The quality of the food--we are blessed with
some good relationships with some retailers and some producers
that we have a pipeline to fresh yogurt, to fresh strawberries,
so we do feel like we get good quality food that comes into our
coolers and goes out to our agencies. Quality to quality, it is
very equivalent, but just in terms of the overall net benefit
of the nutritional volume of food that went out of our
facilities was almost a ten percent increase, which we were
very thankful for.
Mr. LaMalfa. Let me talk about food waste here a little
bit. That is really--sticks in my craw--as well. One of my
colleagues talked a while ago about the number being about 30
percent of food that just flat goes to waste, and do you find
with the food banks that maybe some jurisdictions have health
department regulations that aren't really realistic as far as
how food quality might still be, even though there might be an
expiration date or a use-by date? Talk about that a little bit,
please. I mean, more food that can actually be reaching people
that is arbitrarily--maybe in my view--deemed as not quite
good.
Mr. Hodel. Yes, great question. The Good Samaritans Act
allows us to be able to take those post-dated items and to give
those out, which again, we are thankful for the foresight of
our forefathers to putting that in place. But we do have a--
kind of a food distribution challenge to be able to identity
and rescue and connect where that extra or excess food is, and
so that is a logistical challenge that our procurement team
works through to try to make sure that we are connecting where
there is opportunity and where that waste is occurring, to make
sure that we are salvaging that and bringing it into the food
bank network.
And so, at times on the business side I would say there is
some hesitancy at times to maybe form that partnership with a
food bank for fear of the risk that it maybe imposes on them as
a business. Policies around kind of reducing that risk for a
business would be helpful and would be an additional pipeline
of opportunity for food that the food bank network could
leverage.
Mr. LaMalfa. Thank you.
Mr. Chairman, would you mind yielding me another 30 seconds
so I could ask Mr. Duvall something?
The Chairman. I yield the gentleman an additional 30
seconds.
Mr. LaMalfa. Thank you, sir.
Mr. Duvall, I wanted to touch on with the issues we are
facing with food supply and such, how important is it as a
representative of farmers in America that we have a
domestically grown food supply versus reliant upon imported
food, and the challenges that farmers are facing in America in
20 seconds?
Mr. Duvall. Yes, my 20 seconds is food security is national
security, and it is absolutely essential that we as a country
be able to feed ourselves. For example, when we had energy
insecurity and we would depend on other countries for energy,
we surely don't want to go there with our food. It is vitally
important we continue to do that.
Mr. LaMalfa. Thank you, sir. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I
yield back.
The Chairman. All I can say to that, my good friend, Zippy
Duvall, is amen. That is why we are having this hearing,
because if we don't do something about these food shortages,
then you truly have a national security issue when we have to
depend upon other nations to feed the most powerful nation in
the world. I assure you, we will no longer be the most powerful
nation.
And I can't thank the Committee enough. I mean, you all are
asking some great questions. Our panelists are giving some
great help here as our experts.
And now, let me continue with Mrs. Axne from Iowa. Is she
on?
Mrs. Axne. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. It is so good to be
here, and thanks to all the witnesses for sharing the work that
your organizations have done during this time of need.
We have 42 million Americans, including 13 million
children, who are estimated to experience food insecurity this
year. We all know on this Committee that this needs to be
discussed, and I really appreciate everyone for being here, and
for our Chairman in making this a priority.
As you just mentioned, Zippy, it is a shame that we have
food insecurity in this country at all, but the effects of the
pandemic have only worsened the situation. In Iowa, we saw an
increase of 50 percent in food insecurity, with over 450,000 of
our friends and neighbors struggling to get the food they need.
But we know this is an issue in every community, rural and
urban. But as Mr. Waide noted in his testimony, rural
communities have experienced higher levels of hunger before the
pandemic, and the pandemic has only exacerbated those issues.
In fact, Feeding America's latest reports estimates that over
14.4 percent of rural Americans were food-insecure last year,
and that is six million individuals in rural communities who
lack the food they need.
I am also very concerned about the availability of fresh
and healthy food options for these communities. For example,
when I am traveling across my district, 16 counties, it is
majority rural, and I stop at a convenience store, often the
only fresh item is truly a yellowing and bruised banana that is
sitting on the counter. In fact, these convenience stores are
often the easiest place and the most accessible place for folks
to shop in between trips to the grocery store, which could be
quite a distance away. We have to make sure that all of our
communities have access to fresh, healthy foods in a convenient
and affordable manner. And I am sure that is something we all
support here on the Committee. I am so glad, Mr. McBrayer, to
hear about the priority your business has placed on expanding
those offerings to your customers.
My first question, Mr. Waide, you noted in your testimony
that smaller and more rural parts of the country have not had
equitable access to CFAP products. Can you expand on that, and
what would be your suggestions to fix this?
Mr. Waide. Well, thank you for the question.
The issue is that the way in which we are distributing the
CFAP products is relying upon the relationships that the
distributors that are awarded the contracts have in
communities, and the incentives for those distributors is to
move the product, generally as quickly as they can so they can
complete the contract. They don't always have relationships in
every part of the country, especially in those parts that have
fewer resources and higher rates of food insecurity and lower
access to the kind of products that you are talking about.
The solution is that we are utilizing networks similar to
the Feeding America network, where we have real relationships
on the ground in every county in the United States. And so,
listening to local stakeholders, utilizing those organizations
that already have expertise in handling this product that
already know how to get product to even the more difficult to
reach areas, needs to be a part of the accountability that we
put around the program. Right now, there is not as much
accountability around the CFAP Program around how product is
distributed equitably as there is around the TEFAP program, and
so, we would use that as a model for how you put some of those
accountability measures in place and leverage the expertise of
organizations that know what they are doing in this space.
Mrs. Axne. Well, thank you for that answer, and that is
going to give us another opportunity to look at fixing that
problem. I really appreciate that. That is a common-sense
solution that we should be able to get behind. So, thank you
for that.
I have heard from food banks in my state that the demand
for mobile food bank setups have doubled this last year, mostly
in rural communities. Can you inform us on the Committee about
the successes and challenges that those rural food banks are
having in meeting their community's needs?
Mr. Waide. Sure. The mobile distributions have been
extremely important to our ability to reach all aspects of our
community, particularly given the social distancing that is
required to operate safely. And it allows us to move a lot of
food very quickly. The challenge around those operations, just
going forward, you have to be there when the people are there,
and so, it is not as well developed an infrastructure as you
have maybe in some more densely populated areas where people
can go to standing pantries at hours that are more convenient
to them.
Part of the solution that we are trying to develop is how
do we make those mobile distributions more accessible at more
times, more frequently in communities that are more remote, and
food banks around the country are developing solutions around
that.
Mrs. Axne. Thank you so much. I know we are out of time,
but that is why I am so proud to support the American Rescue
Plan, because SNAP also plays a big part of this, and I know
the food banks are a great part, but we need the support from
SNAP, and this is going to help us get to those needs.
Thank you so much. I yield back.
The Chairman. Thank you, Mrs. Axne, and now I will
recognize my good friend, Bobby Rush, from Illinois. You are
now recognized for 5 minutes.
Mr. Rush. I want to thank you, Mr. Chairman, and I want to
welcome all the witnesses today, and as I have indicated once
before on this Committee, I am the grandson and son of two
Georgia farmers. I was raised, born on a farm in Sylvester,
Georgia, southwest Georgia, and spent my early years on a farm.
Mr. Chairman, I would also like to say in the late 1960s, early
1970s, I was part of an organization that created in this
nation the first network of free feeding programs named
Breakfast for Children Program. And I am so delighted to be a
part of this very important hearing today.
My question goes to Mr. Edenfield. Mr. Edenfield, in your
testimony, you encourage, and I quote, ``this Committee to
consider a P-EBT model for summer feeding programs as well.''
Can you please discuss how this particular modeling of the P-
EBT benefits for summer programs could ensure that kids do not
go hungry?
Mr. Edenfield. Yes, sir, thank you.
This is something I see as very important because each
summer, as a matter of fact, I tell my team we try to structure
a lot of our ads, a lot of what we are doing, when we realize
the kids are out of school, they are not going to be getting
that lunch program. We take bread, we take some lunchmeat, some
fruits, how to have a healthy lunch that is there, and try to
have as equal amount of food as possible [inaudible]. And I
thought for many years now that this is--now sometimes there
are other programs, but there is not really a family program
where you stay at your house and you have those extra benefits
that comes here in the summertime. I think that is something
that is very important to look at.
Mr. Rush. Yes, but let me ask you another question, Mr.
Edenfield, or any of the other witnesses. As a part of the
distribution system for food and to address the food
insecurities that far too many Americans are facing, is there a
role for cooperative food stores and cooperative--at one time
in American history, a cooperative helped play a key role. Is
there any place, any space in the landscape for--our nation
today for cooperatively owned food distribution sources?
Mr. Edenfield. That is a good question too, and if there
is--and this would be--of course, this is an opinion--would be
more so in the rural areas there right now. And they could
not--I am not saying it wouldn't work in other areas, but there
is such a shortage in some of the rural areas that that would--
when you talk about a cooperative there, so many people buying
in and having ownership in that there that would help make that
work. And so, it would seem like to just think about it, that
would be the most logical place to start a plan like that.
Mr. Rush. Thank you.
Mr. Chairman, thank you so much, and I yield back.
The Chairman. Thank you, Bobby.
And now, I recognize Mr. Al Lawson from the great State of
Florida, 5 minutes.
Mr. Lawson. I thank you, Mr. Chairman, and I welcome
everyone to the Committee. I know that there have been a lot of
questions asked over the last 3 hours or so, but I have this
question. I will give it to Mr. Waide. Florida 5th
Congressional District is no stranger to food insecurity, and
sadly, the COVID-19 pandemic has only made the situation for
our families even worse. From Farm Share of north Florida,
northeast Florida, to Second Harvest of Big Bend, food banks
and their services have been essential in feeding Floridians.
Can we talk about the unique way food banks like yours have
been able to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic and how you think
the Federal Government can better help you all on the other
side of the pandemic?
Mr. Waide. Well, thank you, Representative, and as we have
been talking about this morning, the way that the food banks
have been able to respond to this crisis is we have really
dramatically grown our sourcing of food by buying more food, by
working closely with our food donor partners, leveraging
Federal commodities that have been provided through the various
stimulus packages, and then really growing the number of mobile
distributions that we provide, continuing to support the needs
of our existing partners, and just working to expand our
transportation capacity so that we have more food going more
places more often to make it more accessible.
The support we need, going forward, to continue to respond
to elevated levels of need, which we think will be with us for
some time, is certainly we need ongoing investment in TEFAP, in
the Food Box Program, so that we continue to have the inventory
we need to respond. If those programs are not sustained for the
current levels, there is no way that we are going to be able to
replace that volume of food using private sources. We need
those programs to continue to be funded aggressively.
We also think it is important to continue to sustain
expanded SNAP benefits to reduce the burden on food banks, and
we think, as some folks have been talking about, pandemic EBT
is a program that is really important, particularly as we think
about the impact on kids--families with children.
Mr. Lawson. Okay, thank you very much.
My second question, from veterans to college students, my
district is the home of many of the most vulnerable population
when it comes down to food insecurity. And as the COVID-19
crisis highlighted how these special populations have often
been forgotten in our social safety network. What
recommendation would you all make to ensure our students--even
though I know several universities in my district have food
banks--veterans, and I have a lot of veterans in my district,
especially in Duval, probably more veterans there than in any
other place in the State of Florida. And all of them can be
served by programs such as SNAP and The Emergency Food
Assistance Program.
Mr. Waide. It is critically important--our food bank
believes it is critically important that as we think about the
populations you described, we just make food as accessible as
possible. And the easiest way, the most efficient way to do
that is through expanded benefits in the SNAP Program. That is
a program that is widely accessible, it is really efficient, it
works. And it is the easiest way to get food to people who need
it, using our existing world-class infrastructure of grocery
retailers that are available all across the country.
Mr. Lawson. Okay, thank you very much. That is a great
answer, and I look forward to working with you.
Mr. Chairman, with that, I yield back.
The Chairman. All right. Now, may I ask, is Mr. Panetta
back?
Mr. Panetta. Yes, Mr. Chairman, I am here.
The Chairman. Very good, very good. We will now go to you,
Mr. Panetta, and you are now recognized for 5 minutes.
Mr. Panetta. Outstanding. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and
thanks to all the witnesses for your preparation for being here
for now going on 4 hours. I appreciate your patience with this.
I am the last questioner, but I will make it quick even if I am
not.
Look, I just wanted to obviously thank the Chairman for
holding this type of hearing that really, with the diversity of
all of the witness' experiences, shines an excellent light on
the issues with hunger, not only during COVID, but when we are
not in COVID as well. As many of you know, I come from the
Central Coast of California, and as Zippy Duvall knows well,
they call it the Salad Bowl of the World. We are surrounded by
fresh fruits and vegetables, but sometimes the people that
harvest those fresh fruits and vegetables don't have access to
the food that they are working around all day, unfortunately.
And that is why these types of programs that we are talking
about are very, very important, especially during COVID-19.
Every week that I am in the district, I get out to a food bank,
and as you can imagine, I have seen those lines only get
longer, unfortunately, over this past year.
But, as it was said in a hearing we had last term, food
banks, as important as they are, we cannot food bank our way
out of this. And so, clearly, that is why SNAP is so important
in this crisis, and it is also a situation which is being
remedied or addressed at least with the American Rescue Plan,
considering the 15 percent increase in SNAP funding. Which I
believe, and I am sure some of you believe, will be very
beneficial and instrumental in dealing with our hunger issues.
Mr. Waide, I know you have been answering a lot of
questions today, but I have one final one for you. You
mentioned that increasing the SNAP benefits by ten percent is
equivalent to doubling access to all of the food provided
through our nation's food banks. What would the cost to
charities and nonprofits be to fill in the gaps if SNAP
benefits were reduced?
Mr. Waide. Well, if SNAP benefits were reduced, again if we
reduce the SNAP benefits by ten percent, we would have to
double our network. And so, we are already distributing 65
percent more food today than we were prior to the pandemic at
my food bank. We are spending more than 50 percent more than we
were in our expenses to do that. And so, we would have to go
and find the resources to double that again just to make up the
difference of a ten percent cut to SNAP.
Obviously, that would not be achievable for any length of
time, and that means that American families, kids, seniors
would go hungry.
Mr. Panetta. Understood, understood.
Mr. Edenfield, if I may, can you talk about how the
important role of SNAP--I want to hit on kind of in normal
times--and as an income support for low-income workers in
better times, what have you observed? Is it efficient? Are
people using SNAP to buy the right kinds of food for their
families?
Mr. Edenfield. We find it to be very efficient. We find
that if you take--and we have some stores that have a heavier
concentration of SNAP customers than other stores. And where it
is a heavy concentration, there is definitely more of the home-
cooked type meals, from scratch type meals, whether it is your
rice or your flour or your milk, so many different things, and
then so there is much more cooking going on, and this also
stretches the dollar a little bit more. And so, I find it to be
very efficient and very effective.
Mr. Panetta. Great, great.
President Duvall, let me just kind of pivot over to you.
Obviously, farmers in my district did a pretty good job in
donating food throughout the COVID-19 pandemic; but, can you go
into some of the obstacles that farmers faced in trying to
donate food during the pandemic?
Mr. Duvall. Well, it is just the awareness or where they go
with it. That is the biggest obstacle, and when they get there,
are they going to accept it? I think the coordination is the
biggest obstacle.
Mr. Panetta. Fair enough. I appreciate that.
Once again, thank you, everybody, and thank you for your
service to those who need it the most. I appreciate that.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I yield back.
The Chairman. Thank you very much.
Ladies and gentlemen, this has been an historic and very
impactful hearing on a very historic issue. We have not had
this amount of hunger and food insecurity certainly in our
lifetime here. And it is our responsibility as the House
Agriculture Committee to be bold and to understand this is our
challenge here. And I want everyone to know that I have had
some discussions with both the Speaker as well as President
Biden in the Oval Office when I was there, particularly dealing
with how we are able to make sure we have adequate food supply
in two of the most pressing areas: in our rural communities,
which don't have the grocery store. And I am so pleased when I
heard Congressman's--Mr. Baird's comments and the reply from
our convenience store CEO, Mr. McBrayer, on how we can come
together.
And so, I want everyone to know how this entire Federal
Government is aware of this issue, and they are looking to us
in the House Agriculture Committee, as well as the Senate
Agriculture Committee, to come up with solutions.
So, I can't thank our Committee Members enough for all that
you all have done, and I do want to say a word to Mr. Edenfield
about my good friend, Moses White. Please make sure you give
our warmest regards to Moses White's family. Moses White and I
went to FAMU, Florida A&M together, and he passed recently, but
he was a champion for getting out there and making sure that
folks did not go hungry. Mr. Edenfield, your stores have been
certainly leaders in that.
At this time, before I give my closing remarks, I would
like to recognize our distinguished Ranking Member for his
closing remarks and any other information you would like to
share.
Mr. Thompson. Sure, and my 5 minutes of questioning. I
deferred to the end here----
The Chairman. Yes, please.
Mr. Thompson.--because I knew that--I mean, it kind of
creates some hardship when we have these hearings on going home
day, because folks are depending on airlines, and there are
fewer and fewer choices. I wanted to make sure all of our
Members on both sides of the aisle had the best opportunity to
speak.
And so, let me do my questioning first. Mr. Chairman, first
let me say I am grateful that President Biden and Speaker
Pelosi have finally caught up to where the Agriculture
Committee has been in a bipartisan way for years. I welcome
them to this. We have been the leader on this, and it is great
that they maybe have had an awakening on just how important our
work is here that we have always done, the 2014 Farm Bill, the
2018 Farm Bill.
My question, first of all, thank you to all of the
witnesses. Nutrition assistance requires collaboration between
governments, nonprofits, communities, individuals, churches, my
home community Alliance Club, other service organizations,
volunteers. It just--it is amazing how many people come to the
table, and it is those partnerships, public-private
partnerships and efficient interactions between Federal, state,
and local agencies, and quite frankly, the nonprofits, the
churches, everyone that is involved.
So, let me start with Mr. Hodel. How do your collaborative
efforts improve service delivery, and are there areas for
improvement to ensure that recipients' needs are met?
Mr. Hodel. Yes, thank you for the question.
At the Midwest Food Bank, we believe we do have the
capacity and efficiency model to serve our communities quickly
and fairly. And, this last year has taught us doing more of the
same is maybe not prudent, but also stopping and fixing is
certainly not an option. Experimenting, disrupting, and trying
new efficient channels to market that are innovative I think
are our solution. It has been talked about today that there is
a multi-prong approach to help fight and solve this food
insecurity, and so the initiative and continued refinement of
the Farmers to Families Food Boxes is a great example of an
additional pipeline. How do you provide that pipeline to the
farmers? How do you make it incentivized for the farmers to be
able to sell and receive fair value for their products? And
even what type of reward is there for food rescue? And, those
are the kinds of questions that can be tackled, and I am
willing to be a part of that conversation, but also there has
been some great progress in this last year, and we are
appreciative of that.
Mr. Thompson. Thank you. Thank you for that.
Mr. Waide, your thoughts on how--with your operation, how
do collaborative efforts improve your service delivery, and are
there areas for improvement that we should be looking at?
Mr. Waide. Well, our entire model is based on
collaboration. My food bank has 170 employees. We are trying to
feed close to a million people, and we can't do that without an
extraordinary number of partners and volunteers and donors, who
all get engaged in the effort to fight hunger.
In terms of improving the way that we operate, certainly
our food bank is looking at ways that we can operate better,
and the lessons learned from the pandemic are that we have to
move faster, we have to be bigger, we got to get closer to
where people are. We are going to need help from government to
do some of that work. We certainly need help with food
inventory. We need help in terms of sustaining access to SNAP.
But we also need great investment and collaboration in the
private-sector, and we are leveraging expertise from world-
class logistics companies here in Atlanta to help us think
about how we improve. We are leveraging expertise at community-
based churches to understand how we can serve people with
greater compassion, and we are going to put all that together
to do even more to serve our food-insecure neighbors who need
our help now more than they ever have.
Mr. Thompson. Mr. Waide, thank you for that.
President Duvall, Zippy, the first thing is just an
observation that perhaps you think about. I know I am thinking
about it with, from ag, with resources for ag economists. Just
as kind of a follow-up to Mr. Allen's questioning, with the
amount of spending that we are seeing, and obviously when there
is a crisis, I appreciate, quite frankly, the roughly nine
percent of the bill that is going to the President's desk here
tomorrow of $1.9 trillion. I think that is really important and
helpful. I have concerns over the 91 percent, but what I would
like us to look at, it would be helpful for all of our ag
economists to take a look at the impact, we can go back in
history to see this--the question will be, what was the impact
on food affordability? Because affordability and access speaks
to having proper nutrition, and with higher inflation--our
inflation has eked up. I hope it doesn't go any further, but I
am afraid with the amount of--the massive spending it might.
That is not really looking for a response, Zippy, but something
I know I want to work with ag economists to look at--and you
have some great ones at the American Farm Bureau Federation.
My question for you actually has to do with the--it was
suggested by one of our witnesses today that the Farmers to
Families Food Box Program funds were not efficiently used. Now,
your testimony suggests there may be a place for a program like
it moving forward. I wanted to give you an opportunity to talk
more about that, and what that balance might look like moving
forward.
Mr. Duvall. Well, what we got to look at is our farmers
always answer the call. If there is a new program out there
that is put forward to help feed people that need it so badly,
our farmers will adjust their marketing schemes, they will
adjust their production, they will adjust their processing in a
way to do that. And we just have to remove all the barriers
that they have to go through to get there, and be creative in
what those programs look like.
Mr. Thompson. Very good. Well, let me just pivot into my
closing remarks. Mr. Chairman, I promise it will be brief. They
are all thank yous.
Thank you for this hearing, first of all. Zippy, thank you
to you and our American Farm Bureau, all of our state and
county Farm Bureaus. Quite frankly, nutrition starts with our
producers. Two simple truths: farmers feed and nutrition
matters. And so, thank you for that. Thank you to Mr. Edenfield
and Mr. McBrayer, I want to thank you and your team members
that work for you. They have been working as life essential
employees when other folks have been sheltering at home or
telecommuting. They have been working in settings that probably
have had more interactions with the public in a pandemic than
any setting that I can think of. The stories that we hear, the
large gatherings and these grocery stores, convenience stores,
on behalf of everyone on the Agriculture Committee, our
appreciation to you and your teams. And thank you for carrying
those fresh foods. Those are incredibly important. That is what
makes the Farmers to Families Food Box so important. It really
is concentrated with fresh foods, it is good for families, good
for health, and good for agriculture.
And finally, thank you to Mr. Hodel and Mr. Waide for the
work of your food banks, and all those that work so hard to
make them successful.
And with that, Mr. Chairman, I yield back.
The Chairman. Thank you very much, and I concur with you.
You and I were exchanging glances as we were hearing the
expertise from our participants, and from the excellent
questions and exchanges from our Members. And I hope that those
who have been across the country who have been watching this
hearing, you will go away with it knowing that we are very
serious about making sure we solve this hunger crisis that we
are in.
I want to just have a few closing comments so people will
know where we are going to go from this point so that everyone
should know, this doesn't end. This is the beginning of our
approach to deal with hunger in our nation.
And so, I want to start with Mr. Kyle Waide. Mr. Waide, if
you recall, you and I had a conversation a few months ago as we
were doing one of our COVID-19 testing drive-thrus and food
distribution. And at that point, I mentioned to you that we
were going to have a hearing, but I also recall that you
brought to my attention that there might be a need for some
language change within something that we could do here in
Congress, and I am wondering, I certainly put you in touch with
the staff, and I wanted to make sure we had responded to that.
I think you may remember. Do you remember that conversation we
had, Mr. Waide?
Mr. Waide. Well, we are in touch with your staff, Mr.
Chairman, and are in good dialogue around that.
The Chairman. Okay. You know what I am talking about? Do
you remember that? It had to do with some aspect of making sure
that you were getting the kind of smooth transition with some
phase of your activities with us here in Federal Government. If
not, we can proceed and pursue that, and I just can't remember
exactly what it was on, but my mind was back there.
But I want to thank you, Kyle, for that, and I am asking
that you continue to work with our staff, because I want to try
to find some ways that we can help here in Congress the food
banks. You are a very important part. All you have to do is
watch the TV news and see the lines of cars and trucks and
vehicles, some miles long, some in the car since 4 o'clock in
the morning, coming to our food banks. You are their lifeline.
And so, it is very important for us to know how much more
we can help you, and help our food banks.
And Mr. Edenfield, with Wayfield, I know the history there.
You and I have been partners for a long time in Georgia, and
especially working with my good friend, Moses White, and our
relationship there. And I just wanted to also let you know that
we want you to work with our staff and our Committee. The
reason we have these hearings, folks, is to bring in the
expertise, get the information, and then we in the Committee
parcel out much of this to our Subcommittees, and it may be
certain pieces of legislation that we need to introduce, and it
may be appropriations of funds that come from these hearings.
We look forward to continuing that relationship.
And Mr. McBrayer, obviously you know I am coming to you
because of the great interplay you had with Congressman Baird,
and that is something that really has perked the interest of
our Committee because Mr. Bishop even came in to that. You can
see the enthusiasm within our Committee to reach out to you.
You are the ones out there that are in the point of the battle.
They come to you. They come to the grocery stores. They come to
Wayfield. They come to Kroger. They come to your convenience
stores to get the food. But we have a problem of the rural-
urban divide, and those fault lines are getting larger and
larger, and none larger than our food. And so, I am very
interested, Mr. McBrayer, and you see the Members of the
Committee are, about seeing how we can enhance that and utilize
and develop it. It would be wonderful, like Mr. Edenfield said,
if we could get grocery stores popping up in the rural areas.
But it is all business, and they are going to go where they
have the largest market. But those convenience stores are
there. I know. I grew up in Aynor, South Carolina, and if it
weren't for the convenience store, the furthest grocery store
was down the road in Conway. And if you wanted to go to a big
one, it is up in Florence or down to Myrtle Beach. But there
was a convenience store in Aynor that provided our food. So,
that is the case throughout.
I am overwhelmed with this hearing, with the amount of
information that you all have given.
Zippy, what can I say about you, my friend? You are always
there and you bring in such valuable information. And Mr. Eric
Hodel with the Midwest Food Bank, your comments and your
participation were great.
And so, I come to the end of this hearing, but believe you
me, this is the beginning of our work to make sure that we will
not have this hunger crisis much longer. I commit this
Committee to doing that. Our staff is committed. I just want
you all to stay in touch with us, and we will come out with
that.
And I might mention also, what we want to do, we wanted to
get a series of these hearings in and bring in--and so we would
know what to do. The next hearing, as you know, will be on the
status of the Black farmers, and we will have that on the 25th.
That is 2 weeks away, and then the rural development, as I
said, Ranking Member, you and I said we would work together on
rural development, and that hearing is scheduled for right
after the Black farmers hearing, so we can get that. And then,
for those of you who might know, our staff then goes to work,
pulls the subcommittee hearings together with all our
subcommittees so we can parcel out the work ahead, and each
Member and each subcommittee will have their responsibilities.
So, with that, I turn to my wonderful staff. Is there
anything else we need to mention before I close out? We are
good, except one thing, to say thank you to our wonderful staff
who has done a good job, and you are part of the staff as well.
We have two staffs. Congressman Thompson has a staff, I have a
staff, and don't they work together well?
Mr. Thompson. They did a great job.
The Chairman. So, let's give them a hand. We see the
Chairman and Ranking Member giving them a hand.
Thank you all. It has been wonderful. God bless all of you.
Thank you. This meeting is adjourned.
[Whereupon, at 1:10 p.m., the Committee was adjourned.]
[Material submitted for inclusion in the record follows:]
Submitted Letters by Hon. David Scott, a Representative in Congress
from Georgia
Letter 1
on behalf of deniz besik, p h.d., assistant professor of management,
robins school of business, university of richmond
Chairman Scott and Ranking Member Thompson:
I would like to thank you for holding this hearing on food
security. I appreciate the opportunity to provide my thoughts on this
important issue and potential solutions for the Committee to consider,
including through operations research.
My name is Deniz Besik. I am Assistant Professor of Management in
the Robins School of Business at the University of Richmond. My
research focuses on supply chains in the food industry, and I study
perishable food supply chains, focusing on food quality and safety. I
am also a proud member of the Institute for Operations Research and the
Management Sciences, which is the world's largest international
association for professionals in operations research, management
science, data science, and analytics. These important tools are helping
many sectors save lives, save money, and solve problems.
Food is essential for sustaining life, and maintaining a healthy
diet requires physical and economic access to nutritious, sufficient,
and safe food. A food-insecure household cannot provide enough food for
every person to maintain a healthy and active lifestyle. In contrast,
the word ``hunger'' is defined as a consequence of food insecurity,
referring to feelings of discomfort, sick, and uneasiness due to
prolonged and involuntary lack of food, according to the United States
Department of Agriculture (USDA).
A year before the declaration of the global COVID-19 pandemic by
the World Health Organization in March 2020, the USDA states that 10.5
percent of U.S. households, this is about 13.7 million (one in nine
people), experienced food insecurity in 2019. Beyond the short-term
impacts of [COVID]-19, in the form of sickness and death, or its
possible long-term impact on the wealth of nations, one of the very
crucial issues still pending to be addressed is food insecurity in the
United States.
According to the Allianz Financial report, in 2020, a year defined
by a global pandemic, the United States could rank the wealthiest in
terms of its net financial assets in the world. Simultaneously, more
than 42 million people (one in eight), including 13 million children
(one in six), suffer from food insecurity and hunger in the same year,
according to Feeding America. To be able to address the issue of hunger
in the United States, the first step is to identify: who is food-
insecure, where do they live, and then we can suggest possible
solutions.
This past year has helped us to identify weaknesses within our food
system or food supply chains. COVID-19 crisis elevated the already
existing inequalities regarding healthcare and food insecurity status
of vulnerable communities, including low-income people, children, older
adults, and immigrants living in the United States. One category of
high-risk groups who might suffer from complications of COVID-19 is
those who have chronic illnesses such as hypertension, coronary heart
disease (CHD), hepatitis, stroke, cancer, and asthma. According to a
USDA report, chronic health conditions are associated with a low level
of food security status among people living at or below 200 percent of
the Federal poverty line (FPL). Additionally, according to a report by
the Food Research and Action Center, in 2020, the food insecurity
status among Black and Latinx Americans is shown to be
disproportionately high, where one in five Black and Latinx adults with
children reported that they experience food insecurity.
Another contributing variable towards food insecurity is the issue
of ``food deserts'' in the United States. The USDA defines ``food
deserts'' as the situation where low-income communities lack stores
that sell healthy and affordable food. Americans who live in food
deserts, or ``nutritional wastelands'' in urban or rural settings,
can't obtain healthy food to maintain a well-nourished diet, resulting
in obesity and other diet-related illnesses. According to a USDA
statement in 2017, which also includes a location finder for food
deserts, about 13.5 million people have low access to healthful food
sources. Another report by the USDA in 2015 also shows that 2.1 million
households who lived in a food desert also needed a vehicle to access
the nearest supermarket.
At present, the food and agricultural industry is one of the
largest sectors in the United States, accounting for approximately 20%
of its economy, comprised of an estimated 2.1 million farms, 935,000
restaurants, and with more than 200,000 registered food manufacturing,
processing, and storage facilities, according to the United States
Department of Homeland Security (2019). The Alliance of Food Chain
Workers (2016) report states that there are over 21 million workers
employed in the food industry, making up 14% of the United States'
workforce. Moreover, the United States' agricultural sector shows
steady growth, with consumer spending on food reaching over $1.6
trillion annually (Plunkett Research (2011)). The food industry
dynamics are very complex; the connection between various stakeholders
is intertwined, and all the players work towards providing food to the
consumer, starting from the farm and ending at the dinner tables of the
consumers, while maximizing profits under tight competition. Creating
and sustaining the connection between the farm and the consumer is
called a food supply chain network.
Food supply chains are very intricate local, regional or global
networks, creating pathways from farms to consumers, encompassing
production, processing, storage, and distribution. Food or agricultural
supply chains are divided into two main types: perishable food supply
chains and non-perishable food supply chains. (Besik and Nagurney,
(2017), Nagurney, Besik, and Dong (2019)). Perishable foods include
fresh produce in fruits and vegetables, dairy, meat, and fish. Fresh
produce is seen as one of the most dynamic branches in the food sector,
with an annual consumption value of 100 billion products. In the United
States, the growth in demand, and the increased expectations of the
consumers for year-round availability of fresh produce, has spurred
food supply chains to evolve into more sophisticated systems involving
overseas production in different countries, including Mexico,
Argentina, Chile, and even Canada. Due to seasonality, most of the
fresh produce sold in the grocery stores in the northeast of the United
States is imported from other countries or grown domestically in a
state such as California or Florida (Cook (2002)). It is reported that
\2/3\ of the United States' vegetable imports come from Mexico, and
most of the remainder arrives from Canada (Cook (2002)). Hence, the
interactions between the demand and supply of food are no longer
limited to a nation or a region but have grown into a more extensive
cross-border operation, including complex relationships and long
distances.
There are many challenges related to food supply chain management,
such as food quality and safety, or the impacts of trade policies
(Nagurney, Besik, and Li (2019)). It is not very straight-forward to
conceive a general rule of thumb for managing food supply chains. When
a supply chain disruption such as the COVID-19 pandemic hit the United
States, every stage and player in the food supply chains, including
farms, processors, packers, distributors, retailers, and consumers, had
been affected tremendously. When the nation went under partial lock-
down in most states, many people suffered from unemployment and started
experiencing food insecurity for the first time in their lives.
According to Feeding America, nearly 33.5 million people in America
filed unemployment. At the same time, the demand at U.S. food banks
increased by an average of 70 percent in 2020 from their values in the
previous year. More shockingly, 40 percent of food bank demand
originates from consumers that have never used food banks before.
While American citizens were filing unemployment and the demand for
food banks skyrocketing, grocery stores, representing the endpoints in
food supply chains, experienced rises in food prices, especially those
in the category under perishable. Demand shocks coupled with
disruptions in supply chains affected meat, fish, dairy, and egg
prices. COVID-19 outbreaks in certain U.S. meat processing facilities
created a meat shortage in many supermarkets and caused the meat import
prices to rise 16 percent in May 2020, according to World Economic
Forum. Additionally, U.S. consumers experienced a 4.3 percent price
increase for meats, poultry, fish, and eggs; whereas they paid 1.5
percent more for fruits and vegetables, with an additional 2.9 percent
for cereal and bakery products, contributing to a 2.6 percent overall
price increase for groceries at the supermarkets in April 2020
(Washington Post (2020)). Furthermore, as restaurants and schools were
closed, consumers started to visit grocery stores more, forcing some
producers to change their supply chain operations such as processing,
packaging, and distribution to adapt to the supermarkets' requirements.
As a result of this change in demand markets for producers, some
farmers had to either accept lower prices for their produce or destroy
their products. The contrast of seeing people forming long lines in
front of food banks while farmers were destroying their produce
demonstrates how fragile the food systems or food supply chains are.
To gain resiliency in food supply chains and find some solutions to
food insecurity and hunger in America, we need to start thinking about
all the players in the food system, including the government, through
providing food assistance programs such as SNAP. Federal food
assistance programs such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance
Program (SNAP), previously called Food Stamps, provide various benefits
in alleviating the food insecurity or hunger levels of households,
including the vulnerable communities. People who are registered for
SNAP can buy food in all food stores. According to several studies, the
SNAP program helped to reduce the level of food insecurity and hunger
in the United States (Gundersen, Kreider, and Pepper (2017), Ratcliffe
and McKernan (2010)). SNAP Program is a crucial defense mechanism for
fighting against food insecurity and hunger in the United States.
However, the research community could explore more on this subject by
using operations research tools such as big data analysis combined with
statistical tools to highlight the significance of the SNAP program in
the United States. Combining information by the Federal and local
governments with geographical data for food deserts provided in the
USDA website could help operations researchers identify the communities
in need and how much the SNAP can help eliminate food insecurity.
Food banks are also another player in our food system, which can
contribute to eliminating food insecurity and hunger in the United
States. According to Feeding America, food banks across America
distribute 4.3 billion meals each year. During the COVID-19 pandemic,
many food-insecure households looked for a solution at food banks.
While donations to local food banks were skyrocketing, the Farmers to
Families Food Box Program was initiated by the government in 2020. As a
part of the Farmers to Families Food Box program, USDA purchased $6
billion worth of fresh produce, dairy, and meat products from producers
in the U.S., which were sent to food banks through local and regional
distributors, creating a new food supply chain from distributors to
food banks. However, given the complexity of food supply chain
management, especially in perishable food chains, food banks'
operational characteristics could be limited. Few main issues related
to food banks originate from a limited number of volunteers, lack of
storage space, and possible logistical and quality problems due to the
perishability of most fresh produce, dairy, and meat products.
Providing efficient food supply chain management by considering the
role of food banks as a new player in the game is still waiting to be
explored by the research community. Using operations management tools
such as mathematical programming and big data, the supply chain
management between farms and food banks can be improved to reduce food
insecurity and hunger in the U.S.
Although some food assistance programs such as SNAP have a stricter
eligibility criterion, including a citizenship requirement, they might
have a better chance of delivering food more efficiently to those in
need as they rely on supermarkets or retail food stores. Food supply
chain operations can be maintained a lot more efficiently when the
demand markets are retail stores since supermarkets have trained
workers, better logistical operations in terms of distribution, better
quality or safety standards, and more experience in conducting
operations related to food supply chains.
The importance of small farms and locally grown food will also
continue to be important in our food system. The recent supply chain
disruption caused by the [COVID]-19 pandemic showed us that relying
solely on a centralized food supply chain could have dire consequences
in terms of food shortages and price increases, resulting in an
additional increase in the food insecurity levels of many households.
More incentives for additional support for operational challenges could
help small farms sell their products at various demand markets. Small
farms usually experience logistical issues caused by the bottlenecks in
their distribution and processing operations, which hinder their
presence at supermarkets, retail outlets, and also farmers' markets.
Operations research and operations management tools such as bottleneck
analysis, capacity planning, or other devices, including optimization
methods for minimizing a costly distribution, can help farmers to
overcome the bottlenecks and logistical difficulties in their supply
chains. Enhancing the availability of locally grown food with
reasonable prices can create a more decentralized food supply chain,
which could help the economy hedge against future food supply chain
disruptions. Additionally, e-commerce is an excellent platform for
farms selling their products; hence more opportunities can be provided
for them to switch to e-commerce.
Another crucial problem in our food system is the amount of food
that is going to waste, while many households suffer from hunger and
insecurity. USDA estimates the food waste in the United States as
somewhere between 30-40 percent at the retail and consumer levels,
approximately 133 billion pounds in volume and $161 billion worth of
dollars. Some of the tools that could help reduce food waste could be
Big Data, the Internet of Things (IoT), artificial intelligence, or
smartphone Apps to help connect supply and demand points in food supply
chains. By using networks of retail stores, large farms, packers,
processors, or food banks can be used to match those who are food-
insecure. Such technological advancements could help to utilize
resources along food supply chains in an optimal amount, which could
help alleviate food waste and food insecurity in America.
Apart from the points above, outreach programs should be conducted
to make food-insecure households informed about the benefits of food
assistance programs such as SNAP.
Again, I appreciate the Committee's attention to identifying
policies that can help reduce food insecurity in this country. I am
always available to further discuss these issues, especially as they
relate to securing our supply chains and leveraging operations research
tools.
References
Allianz Global Wealth Report, September 2020. https://
www.allianz.com/content/dam/onemarketing/azcom/Allianz_com/economic-
research/publications/specials/en/2020/september/
2020_09_23_AllianzWealthReport2020.pdf.
Editor's note: items annotated with ( ) are retained in Committee
file.
Besik, D., Nagurney, A., 2017. Quality in fresh produce supply
chains with application to farmers' markets. Socio-Economic Planning
Sciences, 60, 62-76.
Cook, R. L., 2002. The U.S. fresh produce industry: An industry in
transition. In: Postharvest Technology of Horticultural Crops, third
edition, Kader, A.A. (Editor). University of California Agriculture &
Natural Resources, Publication 3311, Oakland, CA, USA, 5-30.
Feeding America, March 2021. https://www.feedingamerica.org/hunger-
in-america.
Feeding America, The Impact of the Coronavirus on Food Insecurity in
2020. https://www.feedingamerica.org/sites/default/files/2020-10/
Brief_Local%20Impact_10.2020_0.pdf.
Food Research and Action Center, September 2020. COVID-19
Dramatically Deepening America's Hunger Crisis, Report Finds.
Available at: https://frac.org/news/frac-covid-report.
Gundersen, C., Kreider B., Pepper, J. , 2018. Reconstructing the
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program to More Effectively Alleviate
Food Insecurity in the United States, RSF: The Russell Sage Foundation
Journal of the Social Sciences, 4(2): 113-30.
Nagurney, A., Besik, D., Dong, J., 2019. Tariffs and quotas in world
trade: A unified variational inequality framework. European Journal of
Operational Research, 275(1), 347-360.
Nagurney, A., Besik, D., Li, D., 2019. Strict quotas or tariffs?
Implications for product quality and consumer welfare in differentiated
product supply chains. Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and
Transportation Review, 129, 136-161.
Plunkett Research, 2011. U.S. food industry overview. https://
www.plunkettresearch.com/industries/food-beverage-grocery-market-
research/.
Ratcliffe, C.E., McKernan, M., 2011. How much does SNAP reduce food
insecurity? American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Vol. 93 No. 4.
United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), September 09, 2020.
https://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/food-nutrition-assistance/food-security-
in-the-us/definitions-of-food-security.aspx.
United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), September 09, 2020.
https://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/food-nutrition-assistance/food-security-
in-the-us/key-statistics-graphics.aspx#foodsecure.
United States Department of Homeland Security, 2019. A report on
Food and Agriculture Sector. Available at: https://www.dhs.gov/cisa/
food-and-agriculture-sector.
The Washington Post, May 2020. April saw the sharpest increase in
grocery store prices in nearly 50 years. Available at: https://
www.washingtonpost.com/business/2020/05/12/april-saw-sharpest-increase-
grocery-store-prices-nearly-50-years/.
Letter 2
on behalf of biotechnology innovation organization
March 11, 2021
Hon. David Scott, Hon. Glenn Thompson,
Chairman, Ranking Minority Member,
House Committee on Agriculture, House Committee on Agriculture,
Washington, D.C.; Washington, D.C.
Dear Chairman Scott, Ranking Member Thompson, and Members of the
Committee:
The Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO) is pleased to
submit a statement for the record to the United States House of
Representatives Committee on Agriculture hearing entitled, ``A Look at
Food Insecurity in America.''
Introduction
BIO \1\ represents 1,000 members in a biotech ecosystem with a
central mission--to advance public policy that supports a wide range of
companies and academic research centers that are working to apply
biology and technology in the energy, agriculture, manufacturing, and
health sectors to improve the lives of people and the health of the
planet. BIO is committed to speaking up for the millions of families
around the globe who depend upon our success. We will drive a
revolution that aims to cure patients, protect our climate, and nourish
humanity.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ https://www.bio.org/.
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Existing Challenges of Food Insecurity
The Committee's hearing examining food insecurity comes at a
critical time. As we are all too aware, 1 year into dealing with the
pandemic, COVID-19 has also exposed the vulnerabilities and
inequalities in how communities are disproportionately impacted, our
capacity to respond to crisis, our ability to maintain our supply
chains, and to withstand an economic downturn.
Unfortunately, the challenges of hunger and food insecurity predate
COVID-19. According to Feeding America,\2\ before the coronavirus
pandemic, more than 35 million people struggled with hunger in the
United States, including more than ten million children. The
coronavirus pandemic has left millions of families without stable
employment. As result, more than 42 million people, including 13
million children, may experience food insecurity.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\2\ https://www.feedingamerica.org/hunger-in-america/facts.
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According to the United Nation's (UN) nearly 690 million people are
hungry, or 8.9 percent of the world population--up by ten million
people in 1 year and by nearly 60 million in 5 years.\3\ As a result,
the world is not on track to achieve the UN's goal of Zero Hunger by
2030 and profound changes are needed to nourish not just the 690
million hungry people today, but the two billion additional people the
world will have by 2050.\4\
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\3\ https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/hunger/.
\4\ Ibid.
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Using Innovation to Tackle Hunger
As part of BIO's BIOEquality Agenda,\5\ fostering enhanced
nutritional opportunities is critical to promoting health equity. By
broadening access to biotech advances that improve nutritional
wellness, we can enhance overall community health.
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\5\ https://www.bio.org/bioequality-agenda.
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Developing and deploying new innovations in crop and animal
production will be critical to feeding a growing world. As highlighted
by the United Nations, biotechnology can contribute to combating global
hunger and malnutrition. Approximately 140 million children in low-
income groups are deficient in Vitamin A. This situation has compounded
into a public health challenge. The World Health Organization reports
that an estimated 250,000 to 500,000 Vitamin A-deficient children
become blind every year, half of them dying within 12 months of losing
their sight. Golden Rice, a crop produced using the tools of
biotechnology, contains three new genes that helps it to produce
provitamin A.\6\ * Because of these benefits, 150 Nobel Laureates and
13,270 scientists and citizens wrote in support of crops and foods
improved through biotechnology.\7\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\6\ https://unchronicle.un.org/article/biotechnology-solution-
hunger.
* Editor's note: items annotated with ( ) are retained in Committee
file.
\7\ https://www.supportprecisionagriculture.org/nobel-laureate-gmo-
letter_rjr.html.
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Gene editing can fast track genetic improvements in plants and
animals to keep pace with a growing population \8\ and enable growers
to produce higher yields with lower fertilizer, water, and nitrogen
inputs.\9\ This technology can help us create more resilient crops able
to withstand more variable weather events due to climate change by
increasing plant tolerance to heat, floods, salinity, droughts and
extreme cold.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\8\ https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/17/science/food-agriculture-
genetics.html.
\9\ https://innovature.com/article/dr-kasia-glowacka-plants-may-
thrive-less-water..
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gene editing can also boost the nutrient levels of fruits and
vegetables. Increasing the vitamin and mineral contents of plants,
particularly staple crops, such as, potatoes, corn, soybeans, and wheat
can address hunger issues globally and, in the U.S., where large
portions of the population do not meet their nutrient requirements.\10\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\10\ https://innovature.com/article/dr-taylor-wallace-gene-
editing-could-mean-healthier-foods-and-healthier-planet.
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Incentivizing the utilization of biotech in specialty crops can
also help address the lack of fresh fruits and vegetables in food
deserts in urban and rural communities. Consumers are already enjoying
non-browning features in apples and potatoes. Extending the shelf life
of produce can increase the availability of fruits and vegetables.
Additionally, it will cut down on food waste. According to USDA, in
2018 Americans threw away roughly 150,000 tons of food each day with
fruits and vegetable accounting for 40 percent of that total.\11\
Globally, the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) \12\
estimates that worldwide, the amount of food wasted is enough to feed
two billion people--more than double the number of people struggling
with hunger.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\11\ https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/
journal.pone.0195405.
\12\ https://www.wfpusa.org/articles/8-facts-to-know-about-food-
waste-and-hunger/.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Demand for protein, particularly in developing countries, will
dramatically rise with a growing population and middle class. The OCED
and FAO predicts meat consumption will grow 12 percent in the coming
decade.\13\ While traditional breeding has led to increased production,
precision breeding of animals to produce more meat or milk will be
critical to sustainably meet this demand by making similar improvements
in a fraction of the time.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\13\ https://www.meatpoultry.com/articles/4395-global-meat-
consumption-to-rise-73-percent-by-2050-fao.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
As an example, the first bioengineered food animal approved to
date, the AquAdvantage salmon, is a fish that can grow large and
healthy with fewer resources, near population centers. Faster growth to
harvest weight will increases access to affordable and nutritious
protein.
Using microbials and synthetic biology, we can boost nature's
ability to grow more food on less land and create food ingredients.
Through synthetic biology we can make vanillin that is molecularly
identical to the bean.\14\ Separately, using synthetic biology to edit
brewer's yeast to produce hemoglobin is key to the development of new
alternative proteins.\15\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\14\ https://wholefoodsmagazine.com/columns/debates/synthetic-
biology-key-to-a-healthier-planet-or-threat-to-organic/.
\15\ https://www.bio.org/blogs/synthetic-biology-sustain-
agriculture-and-transform-food-system.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Conclusion
Innovation can be a solution to food insecurity. However, we must
incentivize and invest in the research and development of these
technologies and practices and streamline and expedite regulatory
pathways for breakthrough technology solutions.
BIO is committed to working with the Committee and Congress to
address food insecurity. We urge you to support policy that advances
pioneering technology breakthroughs. With science we can ensure
everyone has access to affordable healthy fare and achieve universal
nutrition[.]
______
Submitted Statement by Hon. David Scott, a Representative in Congress
from Georgia; on Behalf of Barbara P. Glenn, Ph.D. Chief Executive
Officer, National Association of State Departments of Agriculture
On Behalf of the National Association of State Departments of
Agriculture (NASDA), we appreciate the opportunity to submit this
statement outlining the priorities of state departments of agriculture
on policies related to food insecurity in America. We request that this
statement be included in the record of the upcoming, March 11th hearing
of the Committee on Agriculture focusing on ``A Look at Food Insecurity
in America''.
NASDA represents the commissioners, secretaries, and directors of
the state departments of agriculture in all 50 states and four U.S.
territories. State departments of agriculture are responsible for a
wide range of programs including food safety, combating the spread of
disease, and fostering the economic vitality of our rural communities.
On March 8th, NASDA sent a letter to USDA supporting the
continuation of the Farmers to Family Food Box Program as well as
recommending ways to improve its effectiveness. NASDA proposed the
following enhancements to USDA:
Increase the variety of meat products by removing the
current restriction that limits products to only pre-cooked
meats.
Provide vendors an additional 2 to 3 weeks between the
awarding of the contract and the start of the performance
period.
Consider the adverse impact on smaller farms and
distributors when contracts are awarded to vendors solely on
having a lower price.
Remove county restrictions within awarded states which
create significant difficulty for both vendors and
distributors.
Give preference to vendors who previously participated in
the program in the bidding review process based on contract
performance.
Provide vendors greater flexibility in curating food boxes
to allow for the selection of items based on local preference
and local availability.
Increase the participation of socially disadvantaged and
BIPOC farmers and vendors.
These recommendations will encourage and increase participation of
local farmers and vendors as well as ensure USDA can make a greater
difference in the local communities who need it most.
Additionally, NASDA recently published a Food Security Toolkit (see
attached) to increase awareness and improve coordination around hunger
solutions. The Food Security Toolkit concludes that when state
departments of agriculture partner with other entities, state residents
become more food-secure and farmers, ranchers and food producers within
the state benefit from wider market-access. NASDA surveyed state
departments of agriculture and found that successful state food
security programs involve partnerships. The partnerships that reported
the most success include engaging in Public-Private Partnerships, Food
Policy Councils and Federal grant programs.
Examples of programs and partnerships include:
The Kentucky Department of Agriculture's Kentucky Hunger
Initiative, for example, brings together farmers, charitable
organizations, faith groups, community leaders, and government
entities to begin a dialogue to help reduce hunger. The effort,
which started as a task force in 2016, has since reformed the
state's food donor immunity law and raised hundreds of
thousands of dollars for hunger relief.
Tennessee Department of Agriculture's partnership with
Cul2vate, a faith-based farm worker training and hunger relief
program, produces and donates thousands of pounds of produce
each year for food-insecure people.
New Mexico Department of Agriculture's SNAP-Ed Double Up
Food Bucks program provides families and seniors with
additional funds to purchase food from local farmers. This
program benefits local economies while bringing fresh foods
into homes.
Oregon's Department of Agriculture partnered with the Oregon
Farmers Market Association to create an online portal where
people could place an order online and do curb side pick-up at
farmers['] markets across Oregon. This online portal resulted
in an additional $390,000 sales at 30 farmers markets across
the state.
Another area that has been a point of focus for NASDA members is
food waste. NASDA members unanimously passed an action item recently at
our annual Winter Policy Conference requesting the inter-agency
agreement between USDA/EPA/FDA regarding food waste be extended to
2030, consistent with the national goal commitment results. Even
further, NASDA supports additional efforts to improve coordination and
communication amongst Federal, state and municipals stakeholders to use
resources more efficiently and effectively to address food waste.
Last, the [COVID]-19 pandemic has underscored the essential work
performed by meat and poultry processing plants of all sizes. Many
smaller processing plants saw an increase in demand for services due to
pandemic-related supply chain disruptions. These processing plants
stepped up to reduce processing back logs and help support their local
food supply. Limit in terms of facility size and processing capacity,
these small plants need equipment upgrades and workforce enhancements
in order to keep pace with increased demand. NASDA urges Congress to
expand meat establishment modernization grants to any small meat
establishment operating under state or Federal inspection. Regardless
of the destination of the meat and poultry products made by an
establishment, i.e., intra- or interstate, modernization of an
establishment will add resiliency to the food supply chain, thereby
protecting consumers from price shocks, avoiding distress to producers
caused by unexpected herd culling, reduce local food insecurity, and
bolster local economies.
NASDA stands ready to assist this Committee in any way possible as
it carves a path forward on this important policy issue.
Please contact Zachary Gihorski ([Redacted]) if you have any
questions or would like any additional information.
attachment
NASDA Food Security Toolkit
A Resource for State Commissioners, Secretaries and Directors of
Agriculture
Forew[o]rd
``As the leaders of the state agriculture departments, NASDA
members are constantly searching for innovative ways to advance
agriculture in our states and reduce hunger across the nation. NASDA is
well positioned to take on food insecurity due to NASDA members'
position to influence policy, their closeness to America's farmers and
ranchers, their ability to connect all facets of the food supply chain
and duty to serve their states.
``For more than 100 years, NASDA members have understood that
partnerships are an important tool for improving food security, but
this project aims to take a closer look at exactly what partnerships
are the most effective and identify resources and ideas to share
amongst fellow commissioners, secretaries and directors of agriculture.
``The NASDA Food Security Toolkit highlights what our members are
already doing to reduce hunger and offers examples for how we can learn
from each other to ensure every American has access to fresh and
nutritious food. It is unacceptable that one in nine Americans are
considered to be food-insecure. Sharing best practices will help us
achieve a more food secure nation.''
Dr. Ryan Quarles,
NASDA President & Kentucky Commissioner of Agriculture.
Introduction
U.S. farmers, ranchers and producers have reached production
heights only dreamed of by earlier generations; however, today one in
nine people struggle with hunger \1\ in the United States. While
American farmers produce an abundance of nutritious food, the fact that
people remain food-insecure demonstrates that more partnerships and
connections must be built into our food systems to ensure everyone is
well fed.
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\1\ https://www.feedingamerica.org/hunger-in-america/food-
insecurity.
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This toolkit illustrates successful state department of
agriculture-led food security partnerships that can be replicated or
modified to work in other states looking to build on current programs
or initiate new ones.
Defining the Terms
Through NASDA's data collection process and the final toolkit, the
terms ``food security,'' ``food insecurity,'' and ``food desert'' are
used. NASDA uses the U.S. Department of Agriculture Economic Research
Service's definition of these terms:
Food Security: \2\ Food security means access by all people at all
times to enough food for an active, healthy life.
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\2\ https://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/food-nutrition-assistance/food-
security-in-the-us/.
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Food Insecurity: \3\ Food insecurity is the limited or uncertain
availability of nutritionally adequate and safe foods or limited or
uncertain ability to acquire acceptable foods in socially acceptable
ways.
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\3\ https://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/food-nutrition-assistance/food-
security-in-the-us/measurement.aspx#insecurity.
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Food Desert: \4\ Areas with limited access to supermarkets,
supercenters, grocery stores, or other sources of healthy and
affordable food.
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\4\ https://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/food-access-research-
atlas/documentation/#definitions.
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This toolkit illustrates that when state departments of agriculture
partner with other entities, state residents become more food-secure
and farmers, ranchers and food producers benefit from wider market
access. The toolkit analyzes state agriculture departments' existing
food security programs and partnerships and offers states resources
needed to create programs that eliminate food insecurity in the United
States. It also highlights food security initiatives prior to COVID-19
and initiatives that emerged because of the pandemic. Survey data was
collected through 2020, and therefore, some programs described
represent food security initiatives created in response to the
pandemic. NASDA intends for this toolkit to increase dialogue amongst
state agriculture department leaders on the most effective methods to
form partnerships and create programs to eliminate food insecurity
across the United States.
Acknowledgements
Inspired by NASDA members' unique ability to form partnerships
across the food supply chain and influence food and agriculture policy,
this project was led by NASDA President Dr. Ryan Quarles. NASDA would
like to thank the NASDA Foundation for their contributions to the NASDA
Food Insecurity Survey and the NASDA members and state department of
agriculture staff who took time to participate in building this
toolkit.
Partnerships--Who State Departments of Agriculture Are Working With
NASDA's survey of state departments of agriculture found that
successful state food security programs involve partnerships. Of the
forms that partnerships can take, state departments of agriculture
reported success from engaging in Public-Private Partnerships, Food
Policy Councils and Federal Grant Programs.
Public-Private Partnerships
Public-Private Partnerships allow state and private groups to
multiply efforts and resources to reach people experiencing food
insecurity. As defined by World Bank,\5\ Public-Private Partnerships
are a contract between a private party and a government entity for
providing a public asset or service. In this toolkit, state departments
of agriculture serve as the government entity in the public-private
partnerships, community food and other businesses serve as the private
party, and the public asset provided as the result of the partnership
is greater food security.
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\5\ https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/publicprivatepartnerships/
overview#: :text=
Public%2Dprivate%20partnerships%20(PPPs)%20can%20be%20a%20tool%20to,infr
a
structure%20services%20to%20more%20people.&text=The%20World%20Bank%20
Group%20is,PPPs%20as%20one%20delivery%20option..
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Food Policy Councils
Food Policy Councils \6\ are committees of community leaders who
evaluate and address food system issues through policy-based solutions.
Stakeholders vary in their background and knowledge of the food system,
but most groups include leaders from agriculture, health, environment
and economic development sectors. Food Policy Councils can provide an
organized approach to assessing, developing and implementing a path to
eliminate food insecurity in states and localities.
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\6\ https://www.ruralhealthinfo.org/toolkits/food-access/2/food-
systems-models/food-policy-councils#: :text="Food policy council" is
one,established by non-governmental agencies.
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Federal Grant Programs
Federal grant programs make funding available for states to
implement programs that accomplish shared goals between Federal
agencies and state agencies. Throughout this toolkit, state departments
of agriculture partner with Federal agencies such as the U.S.
Department of Agriculture.
Successful State-Led Programs Designed To Increase Food Security
Every state faces its own unique circumstances around food
insecurity. Below are programs that state departments of agriculture
have enacted, that have proven to be successful and can be replicated
or modified to work in other states.
Public-Private Partnerships
NASDA Finding: State departments of agriculture can benefit
from public and private partnerships around food security and
make a larger impact than they would operating alone. Tapping
into supply chains, retailers, wholesalers and producers allows
a larger reach for states to provide nutritious food to people
who experience food insecurity. Through feedback from state
departments of agriculture, NASDA found that developing
policies within public-private partnerships is a vital
component of their success.
Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services
The Virginia Food Access Investment Fund Program \7\ uses the
Equitable Food Oriented \8\ Distribution model to support food access
and equity projects by investing in new or expanding food retailers
that address food access issues in the Commonwealth. The program uses a
rubric to determine project eligibility that could easily be used in
other states.
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\7\ http://www.vdacs.virginia.gov/marketing-food-access-investment-
fund.shtml.
\8\ https://www.mandelapartners.org/efod.
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Hawaii Department of Agriculture
Hawaii's Aloha + Challenge \9\ has a goal of doubling local food
production in their state by the year 2030 to help combat hunger.
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\9\ https://alohachallenge.hawaii.gov/pages/local-food-production-
and-consumption.
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Idaho State Department of Agriculture
Idaho's Community Donation Gardening Program \10\ donates produce
to local food banks and assists with food aid programs to help find
locally sourced food.
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\10\ https://www.extension.iastate.edu/ffed/community-donation-
gardening-toolkit/.
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Arkansas Department of Agriculture
The Arkansas Hunger Relief Alliance \11\ started a gleaning program
more than 10 years ago that has been used as a model for other states.
The alliance uses volunteers for gleaning events across the state and
works closely with the Arkansas Department of Corrections for the use
of inmate labor at some sites.
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\11\ https://www.arhungeralliance.org/programs/arkansas-gleaning-
project/.
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Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services
Florida's Food Recovery Program \12\ works with farmers to collect
surplus produce through gleaning and provides schools with guidance on
food waste audits, share tables, food donations and composting.
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\12\ https://www.fdacs.gov/Food-Nutrition/Nutrition-Programs/Food-
Recovery-Program.
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Kentucky Department of Agriculture
Kentucky's Farms to Food Banks \13\ partnership has been successful
since 2011 providing over 18.5 million \14\ pounds of produce to needy
families. The program encourages farmers to glean produce that is still
good to eat but cannot be sold. Kentucky farmers who participate in
Farms to Food Banks receive a state tax credit.
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\13\ https://feedingky.org/farms-to-food-banks/.
\14\ https://www.nkytribune.com/2019/08/ryan-quarles-farms-to-food-
banks-reduces-hunger-in-kentucky-and-helps-farmers-too/.
NASDA Finding: Thirty percent of state departments of
agriculture hold public-private partnerships with food banks
and other private community groups.
Tennessee Department of Agriculture
Tennessee has found success by partnering with Cul2vate,\15\ a
faith-based farm worker training and hunger relief program. Located in
Nashville, Tennessee, the nonprofit produces and donates thousands of
pounds of produce each year to local hunger relief programs and serves
as a demonstration farm.
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\15\ https://www.cul2vate.org/.
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California Department of Food and Agriculture
California partners with the California Association of Food Banks
\16\ that delivers 160 million pounds of fresh fruits and vegetables to
food banks around the state. Farmers who donate surplus to the food
banks are eligible for a 15 percent state tax credit. The program
provides a small fee for the ``pick and packers.''
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\16\ https://www.cafoodbanks.org/farm-to-family-donor/.
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Connecticut Department of Agriculture
Connecticut works with The Salvation Army to provide nonperishable
food boxes at COVID-19 testing sites. Partners include the National
Guard, Emergency Management Regional Coordinators, colleagues and
universities and private businesses.
Delaware Department of Agriculture
Delaware's First Chance Delaware \17\ encourages public, private,
nonprofit, philanthropic, business entities and community partnerships
that work to end childhood hunger and expand access to nutritious food
for low-income children.
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\17\ https://governor.delaware.gov/first-chance-delaware/.
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New York Department of Agriculture and Markets
Nourish New York \18\ is a response to the needs created by the
pandemic and connects farms with the emergency food system. $35 million
has been allocated to ten major food banks in New York to purchase
directly from New York farms.
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\18\ https://agriculture.ny.gov/NourishNY.
Tennessee Commissioner of Agriculture Charlie Hatcher D.V.M.
and Tennessee First Lady Maria Lee harvest produce for the
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Cul2vate program (June 2020).
NASDA Finding: Livestock and wild game programs are a
successful option for providing families with nutritious
protein. Partnerships with youth organizations such as The
National FFA Organization and 4-H can contribute significantly
to these types of programs.
West Virginia Department of Agriculture
West Virginia established Hunters Helping the Hungry \19\ over 30
years ago with the assistance of two area food banks that have provided
1,026,593 pounds of venison to families in need.
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\19\ https://www.wvdnr.gov/Hunting/HHH.shtm.
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Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship
Iowa has launched four programs that connect the food supply chain
with food-insecure Iowans:
Pass the Pork \20\ farmers donate pigs for processing and
the meat is given to families in need.
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\20\ https://donorbox.org/passthepork.
Beef Up Iowa \21\ beef is donated to Iowa State University
meat processing lab mostly by 4-H and FFA members. The CARES
Act funds cover the costs associated with these donations from
youth organizations.
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\21\ https://donorbox.org/beefupiowa.
Turkey to Table \22\ Iowa producers, markets, food pantries
and other private organizations partner together to provide
turkey to needy families. CARES funds are available to help
cover these costs.
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\22\ https://iowaagriculture.gov/news/cares-act-turkey-purchases-
delivered-to-ne-iowa-food-bank#: :text="The Turkey to Table program,the
Iowa Food Bank Association..
Pack the Pantry \23\ is a grant program supported by CARES
funding that allows food pantries to apply for funds to
purchase cooling units to be able to refrigerate more fresh
foods for hungry families.
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\23\ https://iowaagriculture.gov/news/pack-the-pantry.
[GRAPHICS NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig and Pass the Pork
partner organization staff fill a truck destined for local food
banks with pork donated and processed by Iowa farmers and
producers.
Food Policy Councils
NASDA Findings:
Two-thirds of NASDA members have developed policy
through Food Policy
Councils to reduce food waste and increase food security
in their states.
30% of states have adopted programs that encourage
producers to donate
surplus or blemished items to local food banks.
7% of states have programs that give grocery stores and
wholesale retailers'
certain liability protections from lawsuits when donating
food.
West Virginia Department of Agriculture
West Virginia worked with partners to raise awareness about
legislative opportunities to fight food insecurity. The success of
these partnerships led to additional state funding.
Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry
Oklahoma has created grants for grocery stores \24\ in food
deserts.
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\24\ https://stateimpact.npr.org/oklahoma/2017/04/20/legislature-
approves-measure-to-lure-healthier-grocery-options-to-fill-oklahoma-
food-deserts/.
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Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services
Florida passed the Ms. Willie Ann Glenn Act \25\ that requires each
school district to develop a plan to sponsor or operate a summer
nutrition program.
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\25\ http://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/
index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&Search_String=
&URL=0500-0599/0595/Sections/0595.407.html.
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Nationwide Percentage of State Departments of Revenue that Provide Tax
Incentives for Farmers Who Donate to Charitable Organizations
[GRAPHICS NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
Oregon Department of Agriculture
The Oregon Hunger Response Fund,\26\ covers approximately five
percent of regional food banks' expenses for capacity and
infrastructure, such as warehousing, cold storage, transportation, and
some programmatic costs. Some funds are distributed evenly, and some
are distributed based on a formula that includes unemployment rate and
those in poverty level. Some funds are set aside for Oregon Farm Bureau
to procure food--such as ``pick and pack out'' and funds to repackage
those foods for distribution.
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\26\ https://oregon.public.law/rules/oar_461-192-0000.
[GRAPHICS NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
Federal Grant Programs
NASDA Finding: As co-regulators with the Federal Government,
NASDA members work in close state-Federal partnerships on a
range of programs. For food security programs, flexibility to
use Federal resources to meet the needs food-insecure people
has been a key to success.
Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture
Pennsylvania Agricultural Surplus System \27\ program makes
connections between production agriculture and the nonprofit sector
responsible for distributing nutritious food to Pennsylvanians at risk
of hunger. PASS allows Pennsylvania's agricultural industry to donate
safe food products while being reimbursed for the costs involved in
harvesting, processing, packaging and transporting these foods. Since
the program's start in 2016, more than 18 million pounds of
Pennsylvania-produced product have been distributed to those in need of
food assistance.
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\27\ https://www.agriculture.pa.gov/Food/food_assistance/Pages/
Pennsylvania-Agricultural-Surplus-Program.aspx.
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New Mexico Department of Agriculture
New Mexico and Maryland participate in SNAP-Ed programs \28\ which
provide additional funds to families and senior food assistance
benefits so food from local farmers' markets can be purchased. This
program benefits local economies while bringing fresh foods into homes.
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\28\ https://snaped.fns.usda.gov/nutrition-education/nutrition-
education-materials/farmers-markets.
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Missouri Department of Agriculture
Missouri participates in the Senior Farmers' Market Nutrition
Program \29\ funded by USDA. The program creates an additional resource
for seniors, and the benefit doesn't affect any SNAP or medical
assistance they may receive.
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\29\ https://www.fns.usda.gov/sfmnp/senior-farmers-market-
nutrition-program.
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Nevada Department of Agriculture
Nevada's Breakfast After the Bell \30\ requires all Nevada schools
with 70 percent or greater free/reduced lunch eligibility to implement
an option for students to have access to breakfast after the start of
the school day. After the funding was completed for program
implementation, Nevada saw a greater increase in USDA School Breakfast
enrollment.
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\30\ https://agri.nv.gov/uploadedFiles/agri.nv.gov/Content/
Resources/Data_and_Reports/Food_and_Nutrition/School_Nutrition/
Remediated%20SB503_2020report_r1.pdf.
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Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection
Wisconsin's Food Security Initiative \31\ (funded by the Federal
Coronavirus Relief Fund) was incredibly successful. It provided $5
million in funds to help the food insecurity network adapt to the
increased demand during COVID-19 through infrastructure investments and
$20 million for the purchase of food with an emphasis on Wisconsin
products.
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\31\ https://datcp.wi.gov/Pages/News_Media/
Covid19FoodSecurityInitiative.aspx.
[GRAPHICS NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
Photos from local farmers['] markets participating in New
Mexico's SNAP-Ed Double Up Food Bucks program.\32\
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\32\ https://www.doubleupnm.org/.
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Resources
NASDA recommends utilizing the following organizations and tools
based on responses in the food security survey from NASDA members.
Hunger Relief Organizations \33\
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\33\ https://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/hunger-relief-organizations.
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The Food and Nutrition Service Programs \34\
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\34\ https://www.fns.usda.gov/programs.
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Food First & Community Food Security Coalition Report, ``Food
Policy Councils: Lessons Learned'' \35\
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\35\ https://foodfirst.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/DR21-Food-
Policy-Councils-Lessons-Learned-.pdf.
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USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture Hunger Food &
Security Programs \36\
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\36\ https://nifa.usda.gov/program/hunger-food-security-programs.
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The Food Industry Association: Tips From Grocery Store,
Manufactures & Other Partners \37\
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\37\ https://www.fmi.org/family-meals-movement/make-meals-happen/
view/nfmm-news-page/2020/04/17/grocery-store-manufacturer-other-
partners-our-friends-joined-in-with-their-best-resources-to-make-
staying-at-home-a-little-easier.
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Conclusion
NASDA survey data concludes that when state departments of
agriculture partner with other entities, state residents become more
food-secure and farmers, ranchers and food producers within the state
benefit from wider market-access.
``NASDA members understand that no one group, state or organization
can take on the issue of food insecurity alone and succeed. Pursuing
partnerships extends our reach, reveals new perspectives, multiplies
our impact and inspires others to engage and take action.''
[GRAPHICS NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
Dr. Barb Glenn,
NASDA CEO.
NASDA is a nonpartisan, nonprofit association which
represents the elected and appointed commissioners, secretaries
and directors of the departments of agriculture in all fifty
states and four U.S. territories. NASDA grows and enhances
American agriculture through policy, partnerships and public
engagement. Learn more about NASDA at www.nasda.org.
______
Submitted Statement by Hon. Jimmy Panetta, a Representative in Congress
from California; on Behalf of Robert Guenther, Senior Vice President,
Public Policy, United Fresh Produce Association
March 16, 2021
Hon. David Scott, Hon. Glenn Thompson,
Chairman, Ranking Minority Member,
House Committee on Agriculture, House Committee on Agriculture,
Washington, D.C.; Washington, D.C.
Dear Chairman Scott and Ranking Member Thompson:
United Fresh members fully support the House Agriculture
Committee's efforts to bring attention to the millions of Americans who
are still struggling to make ends meet and who are relying on America's
important safety net programs to put nutritious food on the table. That
is why we would like to respond and submit this letter for the
Congressional hearing record from your March 11, 2021 hearing titled
``A Look at Food Insecurity in America.'' In particular, United Fresh
would like to share our views on an important program discussed during
the hearing the Farm to Families Food Box Program.
Over the last year, United Fresh members from across the country
have participated in the Farmers to Families Food Box Program over the
last year. Because of the success and strong support of this program we
convened a 100-member working group of growers, distributors, and
recipient nonprofit agencies during the past 3 months. The group will
be issuing a report with recommendations shortly, but we would like to
take this opportunity to highlight several key points:
(1) A family food box program is an effective way to absorb
perishable, ``surplus'' fruits and vegetables and provide
healthy food to high-need families.
(2) Pivoting from delivering to institutions and restaurants to
packing boxes for distribution to households maintained and
created jobs in the fresh food supply chain and protected
these workers from joining the millions of unemployed and
perhaps needing food boxes themselves.
(3) When AMS provided more contracts in each geographic area
distributors were able to quickly make direct connections
with nonprofit partners, reducing the amount of time it
took to get healthy, fresh food to families.
(4) We know that diet-related health conditions are a prime risk
factor for complications from [COVID]-19. This makes it
more incumbent on policymakers to ensure that the emergency
food we provide will build health. Boxes that only contain
produce and that offer a variety of colors and some ready-
to-eat fruits and vegetables concentrate the nutritional
benefit to households.
We look forward to the end of this health emergency but in the
meantime, United Fresh's members are doing all they can to continue to
provide markets to U.S. fresh produce growers and nutritious food to
our neighbors.
Sincerely,
[GRAPHICS NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
Robert Guenther,
Senior Vice President, Public Policy.
CC: House Agriculture Committee Members.
______
Statement Submitted by Hon. Glenn Thompson, a Representative in
Congress from Pennsylvania; on Behalf of Dave Donaldson, Co-Founder,
Chairman, Chief Executive Officer, CityServe, International;
Facilitator, Faith-Based Collaboration for F2F *
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* Editor's note: F2F stands for Farmers to Families Food Box
Program.
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Chairman Scott, Ranking Member Thompson, and Members of the full
Committee, CityServe offers the following comments on U.S. nutrition
programs and the role that faith-based organizations provide in the
execution of Federal social programs.
Background
CityServe International is a [501(c)(3)] tax-exempt faith-based
organization that provides logistical and structural guidance to
churches that feel ill equipped to fully reach and meet the needs of
their local communities. Local needs and community initiatives include
addressing hunger as well as meeting the needs of the poor and
disaffected, the addicted, and the exploited. Through capacity and
partnership building, CityServe assists in empowering churches to make
greater community engagement and impact across the world. CityServe's
collaborative network includes faith-based nonprofits, corporations,
retail stores, farmers and ranchers among other food supply
partnerships.
Since 2016, CityServe has built relationships with interconnections
to service the multiple needs of communities across the globe. Through
these relationships CityServe has mobilized churches and leveraged
their influence and resources. From this a supply chain network of
``HUB's'' were established that channel these resources. These HUBs
include warehouses for household goods, furniture, toys, and food to
local churches serving their communities. Local churches are the
primary Point of Distribution (POD). Each POD has committed to be
actively involved with their neighborhoods and community through
compassion and evangelism. In 2020, CityServe and its regional
affiliates distributed over $400 million of in-kind gifts through PODs
to needy families across America.
Hunger Relief Programs
Specific to nutrition assistance, CityServe recognizes that 41
million Americans face hunger every day and that food insecurity
affects all genders, ethnicities, ages and backgrounds. Through-out our
network we have established over 2,000 distribution sites that have
been trained in proper food management, distribution, and means testing
while following CDC's [COVID]-19 social distancing guidelines.
In addition, the food box program has been catalytic in discovering
other needs of families that CityServe is able to tangibly meet by
providing beds, diapers, school supplies, and home furnishings among
other items. By cultivating the trust of under-resourced families,
CityServe has successfully linked them to both public and private
programs geared towards helping them move from dependency to
sustainability.
Aggressive incorporation of our nonprofit model within the current
body of food assistance programs would allow us to reach an additional
20 million people annually and help pull Americans out of poverty and
deal with the conditions that contribute to food insecurity.
Pandemic Response
For more than 9 months CityServe and its 2,000+ affiliated
organizations have worked to ensure the neediest among us have the
opportunity to receive food due to no fault of their own. As we are
well aware, [SARS]-CoV-2, also known as the novel coronavirus (COVID-
19), continues to have significant and persistent economic disruptive
effects on urban and rural communities across America. In response,
USDA implemented the Farmers to Families Food Box Program (F2F) to
purchase and distribute agricultural products to those in need. The
program, while not perfect in its first iteration, would come to be
transformative in not just reaching those acutely affected by recent
joblessness, but also the long-term unemployed who have given up on
both employment opportunities and traditional government social support
systems.
In an effort to bolster the program, CityServe shifted its focus
towards incremental improvements for F2F and even coined ``Last Mile''
to describe its mission to assist the hardest to reach regions in the
nation. USDA's subsequent changes to the program in Rounds Two and
Three enabled CityServe, among many other nonprofit and faith-based
organizations, to efficiently maximize the reach of the box program.
USDA incorporated this last mile delivery concept, and now defines Last
Mile organizations within the structure of the program. To date,
CityServe and its affiliates have assisted in the delivery of 14
million boxes to urban, rural, Tribal Nations and to the Rio Grande
Valley. In addition, CityServe has formed enduring relationships with
over 30,000 families and individuals who were given a food box but now
have also found new purpose and commitments within their communities.
The majority of last mile food box distribution work has been
funded through direct donations and targeted fundraising. With the
successful execution of last mile deliveries, however, some USDA
contractors voluntarily contributed to CityServe in the early rounds of
F2F. These monies offset the costs of the last mile deliveries such as
personal protective equipment, refrigeration, storage and
transportation costs. In later rounds, F2F last mile groups were merged
into the USDA solicitation process. Once solicitations were awarded by
USDA, CityServe and other last mile organizations could commit
resources in advance of distributions, reaching even farther into
America's food-insecure populations.
Despite the good which the F2F program has performed, Round Five
has presented new challenges for which CityServe requests the Committee
assist USDA in addressing. In the design of Rounds Four and Five, many
vendors structured their business to rely on last mile organizations
and food banks to ensure the delivery of boxes across the nation to
those truly in need. Based on this reliance, CityServe and its last
mile partners have made significant investments for last mile
deliveries based on financial assurances from USDA vendors who were
awarded a contract. Unfortunately, many of these agreements have not
been honored or they have been canceled because the contractors claim
their margins are too thin. The goodwill and community expectation has
pressured faith-based organizations to continue deliveries to locations
serviced in previous rounds forcing nonprofits to assume the complete
costs of last mile deliveries. The parameters of the programs for the
latter rounds forced contractors to cut the delivery cost from their
calculation in order to provide the government with a low-price bid.
This activity was observed in Round Four but has dramatically increased
in Round Five.
The solution to this problem for future iterations of the program
is to remove the low-price program mandate and restore the value
proposition that was included in previous rounds. This coupled with a
separate and verifiable administrative funding payment for last mile
nonprofit organizations would cure the current programmatic
malfunctions. For the program's current operation (F2F--Round Five),
Congress should direct USDA to operationalize the authority given to it
under Section 751 of the COVID Stimulus Package, included in the
Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021. Specifically, Congress
provided:
``Provided further, that from the amounts provided in this
section, the Secretary of Agriculture shall use not less than
$1,500,000,000 to purchase food and agricultural products,
including seafood, to purchase and distribute agricultural
products (including fresh produce, dairy, and meat products) to
individuals in need, including through delivery to nonprofit
organizations that can receive, store, and distribute food
items . . .''
CityServe recommends USDA provide $2 per box through this existing
authority for all deliveries. This would continue to bolster the
distribution of boxes to vulnerable seniors, shut-ins and at-risk
children not receiving proper nutrition. This action could be performed
at the conclusion of Round Five of F2F and would assist in covering PPE
costs, the cost of trucks, coolers, forklifts, lift gates, etc., all of
which is already being performed. The cost of the policy starting from
January 19 through April 30 would be a maximum of approximately $60
million or roughly four percent of Congress's designated minimum
expenditure of $1.5 billion. We would note that the $60 million assumes
every box in Round Five of F2F would receive $2 for safety,
administration, and transportation costs to the last mile. We expect,
however, that his number would be roughly half the maximum possible
expenditure. In addition, in many USDA food distribution programs
Federal dollars for this type of administration is provided.
Post-Pandemic
With the deployment of COVID-19 vaccines, we fervently believe the
pandemic will soon end. That said, while we are hopeful for a quick
return of jobs to all sectors of our economy, we believe a lag
economically could continue making the F2F program necessary for the
next several months. When the pandemic concludes, a lesson learned from
it is that the distribution of food and nutrition assistance generally
can be performed in ways that were not previously contemplated and
tested. F2F has proven that the Federal Government can utilize the
efficiencies and seasonality of food in the free market to purchase and
deliver high quality, fresh and highly nutritious food at reasonable
prices and place that food directly in the hands of the food-insecure
population. Such a program, if maintained, could cure food deserts,
assist in curbing health issues that are prevalent among low income and
food-insecure populations, and further the goal of ending hunger in
America. CityServe highly encourages Congress to fund and specifically
direct USDA to maintain the program.
Conclusion
As stated above, CityServe has assisted in the delivery of 14
million USDA food boxes to the ``hardest-to-reach'' communities.
Generally, however, CityServe's work represents a community of
nonprofit organizations that have proven that their assistance is
needed and that we will continue to be a critical member of the
nutrition assistance community to respond to that need. The reach of
our organization has found food-insecure populations in both urban and
rural areas and among some in Tribal Nations. In addition, we submit
that in recent comments Secretary Vilsack has stated that he likes the
program and aspects of what it has been able to do. That said, it is
clear that he will need the support of Congress to maintain the program
and ensure last mile organizations continue to be involved. We further
submit that Congress should encourage USDA to include the last mile
concept in other programs where opportunities exist to address
America's hunger issues.
CityServe takes seriously the work of feeding the needy, but in
addition it also works to investigate and solve the underlining
conditions associated with Americans who are food-insecure. For this
reason, we have developed a network and skill set to reach and maintain
the connection with families and individuals who are often lost within
Federal and state social programs. We will continue to perform this
mission and request that the recommendations above be considered and
incorporated in the Committee's ongoing work.
______
Submitted Report by Hon. Rodney Davis, a Representative in Congress
from Illinois
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Farmers To Families Food Box Research Findings
January 2021
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Executive Summary
In April 2020, when the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS)
rolled out the Farmers to Families Food Box program (FFFB) in response
to supply chain disruptions and spikes in food insecurity caused by
COVID-19, the Wallace Center at Winrock International sprang into
action to ensure participation by the local and regional food
businesses and organizations we serve. Over the course of 5 months, we
provided direct technical assistance to farmers, food hubs, and
distributors whose locally focused markets had disappeared due to the
pandemic. These farmers and local food businesses looked to the program
to replace lost markets for the healthy foods they had growing in their
fields and sitting in their coolers, to maintain their staff and
operations, and to provide hunger relief in their communities.
AMS estimates that approximately 55 of the organizations selected
as contractors in the first two rounds of the FFFB program were working
with and sourcing from local and regional farms. Collectively these
contracts were an investment of over $84M in local farms, regional
businesses, and communities. For context, that is over three times the
total amount invested in local and regional food systems by USDA-AMS
through the FMLFPP program in 2020. The Wallace Center conducted
research with about half of these locally-sourcing contractors to
understand the program's impact on their work, gather information that
could inform the implementation of emergency nutrition and farmer-
support efforts, and help shape future programs that leverage USDA
direct procurements.
The Wallace Center received responses to surveys from 21 of the 55
local-sourcing contractors from rounds one and two and conducted
formal, follow-up interviews with seven of these respondents. The
research and data in this report reflects the program implementation
and input from those 21 contractors, whose responses we chose to
anonymize to ensure that they would be comfortable openly sharing their
feedback with the Wallace Center, our research partners, and the USDA.
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The research indicates that the local and regional contractors were
overwhelmingly successful in implementing the program, which provided a
critically important outlet for small to midsize producers whose
markets disappeared in the spring of 2020. It shored up regional supply
chains, and it provided fresh, healthy, culturally appropriate foods to
emergency nutrition operations and the people they serve in urban and
rural communities across the country.
The program's early flexibility enabled organizations and
businesses that had never been able to participate in USDA commodity
programs demonstrate the strength and responsiveness of their
enterprises and networks. For example, flexibility in the kinds of
boxes contractors could provide and the contents of these boxes allowed
contractors to concentrate on the products they know best, adapt to
seasonality during the year, and provide culturally appropriate foods
to different communities at a fair and competitive price. The
willingness of AMS to provide small contracts enabled small companies
to stay solvent and to source from small farms, serve a diverse set of
small emergency food relief organizations, and reach rural and remote
communities that large companies can't or won't serve. Assessing
applicants on their ability to provide high quality, appropriate foods
in household sizes rather than on low cost boxes meant AMS' support
went to small and mid-sized specialty crop producers who could serve
their communities effectively with no food waste.
The FFFB contractor selection criteria shifted to a primary focus
on low-price in rounds three and four of the program. These contractors
could not compete while still providing farmers and workers a fair
price and wages. The result: the producers these contractors purchased
from lost a market channel that had provided prices commensurate with
their pre-COVID customers. Further, the small emergency nutrition
organizations they served in urban and rural communities--many of which
operate outside of food bank networks--lost access to healthy,
appropriate fresh food. Jobs that had been created to meet increasing
community food needs were lost and some contractors had to lay off
permanent staff when they did not receive contracts in rounds three and
four.
We recognize that AMS had to create the FFFB quickly and it is
remarkable how well the process worked considering the immense
pressures the agency was under. We understand the complexity of the
task they were given and appreciate how responsive staff leadership has
been and their willingness to engage with us directly about the
feedback and questions we gathered from local contractors. While the
program has been criticized and there have been missteps, it is evident
that many aspects of this program worked very well and that the impact
of the FFFB program had on the local contractors we worked with, the
farmers that they source from, and the communities that they serve has
been profound. Furthermore, this program provided a model not only for
another round of COVID relief in 2021, but also for the local and
regional food sector to participate in USDA commodity purchasing in the
future. This program proved the concept that the dual goals of hunger
relief and supporting small farmers don't have to be at odds and can in
fact be systematically achieved in concert.
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The Contractors
After the original contracts were awarded, AMS identified 55
contractors that were sourcing from local and regional farms and helped
Wallace Center connect with them. Contracts awarded to these
organizations ranged from $3,600 to over $27M. The Wallace Center
surveyed 21 of these FFFB contractors and conducted in-depth interviews
with seven of those surveyed. The organizations surveyed are based in
15 states and received a total of $41 million in contracts in the first
two rounds of this program, $28 million of which was paid to producers.
Collectively, they delivered 1,760,596 boxes of fresh, healthy food to
families in need. These contractors received contracts for rounds one
and two. Some received Basic Ordering Agreements (BOAs) and applied for
rounds three and four, but none received contracts in those final
rounds.
The contractors we surveyed are diverse but share a common focus:
working with small and mid-sized producers using sustainable production
methods, serving local and regional markets, supporting a diverse
farming sector, and advancing healthy and resilient food systems. About
half the contractors are businesses including farms and food hubs, half
are nonprofit organizations, one is a school district, and one a
consumer grocery coop. The business and nonprofit organizations vary in
size, but all qualify as small businesses/operations.
Fresh Approach
Concord, CA
Total Contract Value: $1.8m
Fresh Approach, which is a nonprofit organization operating
multiple food security and nutrition education programs in the
Bay Area, took a value chain coordination approach to their
contract, and created a web of food hubs, BIPOC farmers, and
community-based organizations working together to build and
distribute boxes. A decentralized program allowed the
nonprofits that Fresh Approach partnered with to tailor their
offerings to the communities they work in. Fresh Approach took
a coordination role, aligning supply and demand and
distributing funding to multiple small organizations, including
farmers' market associations, farms, nonprofit farms, and urban
farms, who could best navigate the assets and needs of their
communities. Andy Ollove of Fresh Approach noted: ``We used the
model of recruiting small organizations. We could get into
invisible communities with really high touch. In some cases, we
were getting food to people 1 mile from where it was grown. To
do that most effectively, you think of it as a network rather
than an individual nonprofit.''
Growfood Carolina
Charleston, SC
Total Contract Value: $51,000
GrowFood Carolina is a nonprofit food hub that primarily
served restaurants in coastal South Carolina. Many of the small
farmers that GrowFood served had very few market opportunities
when COVID hit, as restaurants and farmers markets closed.
GrowFood's FFFB contract allowed them to supply food banks,
food pantries, and community-based nonprofits who they had
previously been in touch with but had never had the impetus to
engage in a meaningful partnership. They also worked with a
local nutritionist to was create recipes and demonstrate them
at pickup locations to show families how to use the food they
were receiving. The need for this type of support was so great
GrowFood worked to raise over $200,000 to continue their
program when they weren't awarded a contract in round 3. They
hope to continue serving their neighbors in this capacity in
the long term.
Existing relationships with local producers and farm groups helped
the contractors quickly source products to meet their contractual
commitments to USDA AMS, including when it meant scaling up operations
substantially. Contractors were able to reconfigure existing local and
regional distribution networks to deliver boxes efficiently. Experience
with Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) aggregation and distribution
equipped the contractors with the knowledge necessary to right-size
products for household use. Most contractors are deeply embedded in the
communities in which they operate so they were able to fill boxes with
culturally appropriate foods, deliver them to those most in need, and
minimize waste.
USDA AMS stood up the FFFB program quickly in order to address the
urgent needs of farmers and communities in the early stages of the
pandemic. The application process was new to all the contractors.
Preparing a bid and complying with Federal contract reporting required
a significant amount of time, expertise, and training. New logistics
systems had to be designed that met the needs of the producers and
worked with the contractors' capacity. Contractors also had to identify
and organize a distribution system adapted to local needs and the
resources of the agencies providing emergency feeding. In a matter of a
few weeks, boxes and other materials had to be sourced, and staff had
to be hired and trained to pack and deliver boxes.
Eastern Market Corporation
Detroit, MI
Total Contract Value: $1.25m
Eastern Market is a farmers' market and regional food hub
based in Downtown Detroit. They used funding from USDA to
provide food to 12 community-based nonprofits on the front line
of food insecurity, housing insecurity, and serving seniors,
sourcing from 15 farms in the region. They also directly
delivered boxes to some community members and created pickup
options at their market as well. Eastern Market also rolled out
a non-subsidized direct to consumer box program which allowed
them to increase their financial viability while maximizing the
impact of their logistical expertise. The market demand from
the Farmers to Families Food Box also allowed Eastern Market to
achieve GAP certification and to support GAP certification for
two small farmers.
Even within these constraints, these contractors focused their
sourcing locally (USDA's criteria of within 400 miles or the same
state) from producers using sustainable, regenerative, and organic
production practices and from Black, Indigenous and People of Color-
owned farms. They bought from a total of 420 producers who were paid
fair market prices. Many contractors reported working closely with
farmers to identify a mutually agreed upon price, which was usually
above wholesale rates. The contractors played a critical and complex
role in making the FFFB program work for the communities they served
and passed about 69% of what they received from USDA to the producers
they bought from. They used the remainder of the funds to retain staff,
keep the regional supply chain intact, and create 203 new jobs.
Most contractors were paid between $25 and $38 per box. Materials
and transportation were most commonly listed as the primary non-food
costs. The range of prices can be attributed to the contractors' focus
on setting a price with growers that met their needs, different labor
costs across regions, the range of product included in the boxes
(seasonality), and the true cost of last mile distribution,
particularly in hard-to-reach areas.
The locally-focused contractors were able to quickly and
successfully implement this program due to their operational focus on
local and regional supply chains and longstanding, trusting
relationships across the value chain that are built on the shared
values of local and regional cooperation. The contractors' models are
inherently adaptable and built to be flexible to respond to changing
market and supply demands. It is worth noting that many of the food
hubs and nonprofits surveyed had been able to build the capacity of
their operations and programs through investments of previous AMS-
administered grant programs, such as the Local Foods Promotion Program.
A&H Farm
Manhattan, KS
Total Contract Value: $1.3m
A&H Farm is a fourth-generation diversified farm that also
runs a CSA and multiple agritourism programs in rural Kansas.
The FFFB contract was a lifeline for them when the local
farmers market closed in March. They worked with other, small
neighboring farms to provide produce to regional food banks,
some as far as Denver and St Louis, and smaller food pantries
that were too small to receive support from larger
distributors. They also delivered directly to many individuals
in their communities. Andrea DeJesus, who runs the farm with
her husband, noted ``I am my farm. This program was life-
changing, not just for us, but for our partners as well.''
Zone 7
Ringoes, NJ
Total Contract Value: $146,000
Zone 7 connected with their network of local produce growers
in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and New York to source and pack
boxes of delicious, nutritious produce items for distribution
as a part of the USDA Farmers to Families program. By working
closely with Rolling Harvest, their nonprofit partner which
focuses on gleaning and linking local producers with food-
insecure communities, Zone 7 was able to reach over 7,000
individuals and families experiencing food insecurity in
central New Jersey with the food boxes.
Though the federally funded food box programs have ended for these
contractors, the problems the FFFB program sought to alleviate have
not. Though some restaurants have reopened, their demand is
considerably lower. Similarly, some school systems and universities are
feeding their students through prepared meals or other limited in-
person options, though at a much lower capacity than prior to the
pandemic. Many of the contractors the Wallace Center spoke with
continue to provide food boxes and emergency food relief through
programs funded by local governments, foundations, and nonprofit
groups. Many contractors expressed their desire to keep feeding their
communities and providing a fair market for their local producers.
These 21 Contractors Represent:
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1,760,596 boxes delivered
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420 farms
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203 jobs created
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$28M paid to producers
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443 partner organizations
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In Their Own Words
Nearly all the contractors noted that this program was a critical
lifeline for the farmers they purchased from, with many saying that
this program saved farmers, and contractors, from going under.
``Small and mid-size family producers told us that the
existence of this program helped ensure the survival of their
business in 2020. For many, their only sales were coming from
the food box.''
``Every single farmer we worked with mentioned how we `saved
them.' For example, a berry farmer we purchased from was able
to buy back a piece of equipment he had been forced to sell,
and we prevented 45,000 cases of summer squash from being
thrown away.''
``It was life-changing. Not just for us, but our partners as
well. Our farm went from not knowing if we would survive to
making payments and getting some money in the bank.''
``First thing I looked at: They're closing the schools. We're
dead. 35-40% of our yogurts at this time were 5 lb. tubs of
yogurt going into schools [at the onset of the pandemic]. The
USDA contract is an amazing investment--it's helped us
establish a local dairy.''
``This program allowed us to meet the needs of thousands in
our small, rural county when very little assistance was
available.''
``The network that was built up has helped keep many
producers viable. By sharing resources, we built strong
partnerships that allowed us to scale to 3,500 boxes per week.
Individually that would not have happened.''
``It is an absolute shame that I have producers dumping
produce now because there is not enough demand for their
products, while at the same time our partnering agencies are
seeing record numbers of clients. The number of boxes we were
providing daily dropped from an average of 700,000 in round two
to 80,000 in our foundation-funded program.''
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Food Distribution Partners
The 21 Contractors we surveyed delivered boxes to a total of 443
organizations as well as to individual homes. Many worked with their
local food bank, either providing boxes to them for subsequent
redistribution or by relieving the food bank's load by delivering
directly to pantries, shelters, and other nonprofits they served. The
contractors connected with a diverse network of public and private
organizations in their communities beyond food banks and pantries, some
of which were distributing food for the first time. For example,
Riverside Unified School District served as the aggregator,
distributor, and last-mile partner and fed its student community with
healthy food boxes prepared by school food service staff from products
sourced in its region.
Much of the success of locally focused contractors was the result
of a system of mission-aligned businesses coming together to solve
supply chain and distribution challenges. Pre-existing relationships
allowed these contractors to identify emergency relief partners quickly
and serve both large and small food distributors in urban and rural
communities. Even when they had not previously worked together,
distribution and nonprofit partners already knew and respected each
other and came to the partnership with aligned values and goals.
GrowFood Carolina noted that, prior to the pandemic, they had been
aware of the nonprofit who ended up being their last-mile distribution
partner through the FFFB program but had not been able to find the
right occasion to work together. This funding created that opportunity.
Furthermore, the contractors' agility allowed some to provide home
delivery in hard to reach rural communities and directly to vulnerable
households. For example, Fresh Approach in California partnered with a
neighborhood-level mutual aid effort that packed boxes at an urban farm
and delivered them to families within a mile of the farm.
Contractors were able to turn relationships they held across the
value chain into avenues for food box delivery. For example, Common
Market sold to regional hospitals and then started delivering boxes
that hospital staff provided to patients who screened for food
insecurity and to uninsured diabetic patients. Another contractor
pivoted from selling to a university's cafeterias to supplying boxes
for the school's student food pantry. Community networks connected the
contractors to churches, neighborhood associations, public and private
schools, community health clinics, urban gardens, and farms that were
very well situated to handle last mile distribution. One contractor
estimated that at least 26 of the organizations they provided healthy
food boxes to are not connected to the larger emergency food
distribution network and are no longer receiving FFFB boxes.
In 2020 the established food bank system was stretched almost
beyond the breaking point. The contractors Wallace Center spoke with
emphasized that their efforts were a necessary supplement to the work
being done by regional food banks. They also pointed out that their
ability to provide pre-packed, household-sized boxes permitted small
organizations without staff or volunteers or a secure cold chain to
safely provide healthy, fresh food to their communities.
In Their Own Words
``Most of our nonprofit partners were known to me by virtue
of (an) existing network of farm markets in our rural area. The
nonprofits we worked with were too small to receive a drop from
any of the larger distributors.''
``Food hubs like ourselves were able to take pressure off the
food bank and food pantries because we were able to work with
other community-led nonprofit partners on the front lines of
food insecurity in our city. Many of our recipients do not have
reliable transportation or access to food banks and pantries,
making our neighborhood partnerships critical for 2,000
individuals and families every week. I am worried about the
folks we served.''
``[We were] consistently asked to increase production and in
many cases were able to do so. We ended up running 24/7 with
three shifts to try and meet demand.''
``People requested more on a regular basis.''
``Almost all of the food pantries that we were delivering to
were small. Our average delivery was 125 boxes and under Round
3, they are not getting deliveries because they are being told
that they will need a dock and pallet jack to unload and need
to take an entire semi-load. Some are being told there isn't
enough money in the contract to send small trucks and
deliveries out to them.''
``We were able to customize boxes to be culturally
appropriate for different communities in Chicago. For example,
we worked with rabbis to source kosher foods and then
distribute them to the right people.''
``Thank you so much for the fresh and beautiful food.
Everyone is so appreciative because you guys gave us the best,
and not spoil scrap. I feel so much better eating such quality
foods.''
Box Recipient.
The Farms
The food box program in rounds 1 and 2 provided a crucial outlet
for small and mid-sized producers whose markets dried up overnight with
the outbreak of COVID-19. Many of the contractors' customers were
public and private institutions (colleges, hospitals, schools) and
restaurants, all of which scaled back drastically or ended purchases
completely in the spring of 2020. The farmers they served faced plowing
food under and both they and their distributors faced layoffs and
bankruptcy.
Surveyed contractors purchased from a diverse range of farms. Data
from one contractor showed that 30% were less than 100 acres and 70%
were less than 1,000 acres. Many of the farms were also small, local
(within 400 miles), and owned by people of color. Most but not all of
the contractors we surveyed concentrated on fresh produce boxes but
some also provided dairy products.
The FFFB program required GAP certified produce, which was a
barrier for some farms that traditionally work with food hubs. Though
this requirement, in some cases, limited the farms that locally-focused
contractors could source from, it helped motivate GAP-ready farms who
hadn't previously had an economic incentive to attain certification
become GAP certified this year. Contractors reported that multiple
farmers received certification as a result of the market opportunity
that the contract afforded them. It similarly created an incentive for
the hubs themselves to seek additional food safety certifications. Some
growers were ready to continue their certification process but were
unable to access the appropriate technical assistance quickly enough
within the short timeline of the contract. It is clear that a
guaranteed economic opportunity is a critical motivator for farms
seeking food safety certification.
In Their Own Words
``We grew quite a bit on our farm and supplemented that with
product sourced primarily from other smaller, diversified farms
within 20 to 30 miles of our farm.''
``We touched around 50 farms and several were able to obtain
GAP Certification. Three were urban farms and most partners
emphasized smaller farms, those owned by people of color, and
reflected our values in doing so. All of the farms were
relatively small.''
``Our vendor base consisted of small-scale family farms,
including minority owned, organic, and beginning farmers. Most
of our market was restaurants and there were limited
alternatives because the farmers['] markets were closed in many
cases.''
``[Under S]ecretary Ibach visited our farm and saw our
produce boxes. He said we had some of the best he had seen, yet
we were denied for the 3rd round. I felt the 3rd round was all
about cheap food versus high quality local food.''
Lessons Learned
Congress, USDA AMS, and the contractors we worked with performed
above and beyond what could have been expected in an unprecedented,
chaotic situation with multiple needs and sometimes conflicting
demands. AMS's initial FFFB contracts represented a massive investment
in local food systems that had positive impacts on small to midsize
farms, local economies, and food security in communities across the
country. Food hubs, farm-based businesses, community nonprofits and
others were able to provide high quality fresh food distribution at a
fair price and meet the USDA AMS contractor criteria, without any
reported instances of food waste. The format in the first two rounds
worked well for the contractors we spoke with and they would like the
program to continue and to be included in future rounds.
The twin goals of hunger relief and farm and supply-chain
support should not be in conflict. Investment in programs that
develop and enhance resilient local supply chains can also
effectively address community food insecurity and have the
added benefit of contributing to stronger regional economies.
Locally focused contractors are uniquely positioned to
successfully implement a box program. The flexibility of
shorter supply chains, the connection to their communities,
expertise in last mile logistics, and ability to scale up
quickly made these contractors particularly effective at
meeting the requirements of the program. These contractors
believe that their successful experience with the food box
program demonstrates their potential to sell fresh, healthy,
regionally-produced foods through AMS's established commodity
procurement systems in the future.
Values-alignment and relationships between contractors and
nonprofit partners allowed for efficient service delivery. Many
of the locally-focused contractors had existing relationships
with the nonprofits they partnered with to deliver food to
families in need. They also tended to have similar values which
allowed them to work together quickly to meet the needs of the
farmers and community members simultaneously.
Market-based programs drive development of supply chains.
Opening AMS's commodity procurement markets and directing money
to these farms and supply chain organizations allowed them to
achieve a scale that has not been available to them before. A
clear market incentive also motivated farmers to seek GAP
certification. Grant programs from USDA AMS have been critical
to this sector for years but these contracts represent a
significantly larger, direct investment in local food supply
chains which allowed for much faster innovation, job creation,
and supply chain development.
AMS's various grant programs provided crucial seed funding to
many of the locally-focused contractors. Those prior
investments from USDA helped them launch and grow so they were
able to meet the extraordinary needs the country faced this
year. Prior investments in the individual distributors, and
also the networks of businesses and organizations that
participated in this program, was critical to their success.
Recommendations
Based on our research and consultation with contractors, we have a
series of recommendations that will ideally support USDA in designing
and implementing future programs like the Farmers to Families Food Box
Program. Contractors that were sourcing from local and regional
producers, such as food hubs and local distributors, were uniquely
positioned to excel in this program due to their strong relationships
on both ends of the value chain, and their ability to nimbly pivot
their sourcing, operations, and distribution models to accommodate this
program. Recognizing that there were many things that were outside of
AMS's control, we encourage consideration of the following
recommendations in future rounds and for AMS fresh commodity
contracting in general:
Keep what works: Many contractors are fighting for the
continuation of this program because of its overall
effectiveness. One of the key factors that made this program so
innovative was that the contracts went to intermediaries. This
allowed food hubs and other supply chain entities to align the
needs of farmers and their distribution partners and think
creatively about building supply chains that worked for
producers and consumers. Furthermore, the flexibility and focus
on applicants' ability to meet the goals of the program in the
first two rounds, rather than strictly the lowest price, was
critical in creating opportunity for locally-focused
contractors. This allowed for contractors to increase sourcing
from small and BIPOC owned farms, and to pay them fairly.
Contractors also applauded the ease of the invoicing system,
the speed of payments, and USDA's communication with them in
the early rounds. The BOA system also has potential to be a
useful tool in future versions of this program given its
longer-term contracts and its adaptability.
Eliminate price as the determining factor in awarding bids:
The success of local contractors in the first two rounds of
this program demonstrated that the twin goals of hunger relief
and small- and mid-sized farm and local supply-chain support
should not be in conflict. However, focusing exclusively on low
price in subsequent rounds undercuts support for key segments
of the U.S. farm and food system during this emergency.
Further, focusing on scale has completely deprived access to
food for many of the organizations providing emergency food to
the highest need communities through small, last-mile
distributors that are not connected to larger scale food banks
or food pantries.
Contract decisions should support producers and supply chain
organizations of all sizes, including support for small and
very small businesses. We suggest a scoring criteria matrix
that reflects the following priorities:
Contractors that identify as or source from:
Black, Indigenous and People of Color
owned businesses,
Veteran owned businesses,
Women owned businesses, [and]
Small and very small businesses.
Demonstrated relationships with producers in the
region.
Past track record of performance with the program.
Demonstrated relationships with community
organizations.
Commitment to fair prices for producers documented
through pricing criteria.
Commitment to high quality food products.
Ability to tailor boxes to food needs of community
(i.e., cultural appropriateness).
Ability to include appropriate, household size/
quantity of products.
Ability to serve rural and other hard-to-reach
communities.
Ability to distribute to small organizations.
Ability to distribute food in the region in which it
was produced.
Technical capacity based on connections to last mile
distribution partners.
Demonstrated commitment to minimizing food waste.
Allow for category-only boxes: Many local contractors
excelled in providing category-specific boxes, such as produce-
only boxes, in the first two rounds. The preference for
combination boxes in the third round made re-application
unfeasible for many of these contractors, who were unable to
reorient their operations to accommodate sourcing and separate
cold chains for dairy, meat, and produce.
Permit multiple contracts in the same jurisdiction and
multiple contract sizes: Sourcing from multiple contractors of
different sizes that are partnering with different distribution
partners within a region will help the program reach more
beneficiaries.
Extend the contract period of performance: Two month
contracts with contractors do not provide an adequate time
horizon for producers to plan production and harvest. Providing
longer contracts will provide stability for producers,
workforce, and uninterrupted food delivery. We recommend
contracts cover at least a 6 month period and ideally up to a
year.
Eliminate pre-cooked requirement for meat: The ``pre-cooked''
requirement for meat products included in the box limits
sourcing options from local ranchers and meat-producers that do
not provide pre-cooked SKUs. Allowing for different meat
product options, including healthy and safe dried meats like
jerky, will give contractors and producers the amount of
flexibility that will lead to innovation in providing high-
quality, locally-produced meat to box recipients.
Provide clear and consistent communications and right-sized
technical assistance to applicants and contractors: Many
potential contractors who are well positioned to excel in this
program may have no familiarity with USDA contracting systems
or processes. Providing clear guidance to contractors
throughout the bid process and implementation is critical for
their success. It is evident that a lot of effort went into
FAQs, webinars, and the WBSCM developed in the first rounds of
this program. We encourage AMS to make use of and build upon
those systems for providing information and technical
assistance. USDA webinars and all written guidance should be
aware of language barriers that may exclude certain eligible
contractors. New potential contractors could also benefit from
support through a system like NRCS's Technical Service
Providers (TSP) to supplement AMS' staff capacity. USDA may
also consider how to engage technical assistance providers
beyond AMS such as Extension and State Departments of
Agriculture to maximize access to this program.
Continue using the BOA: AMS's willingness to use the BOA
system is a positive innovation that could be applied in future
instances to increase consistency and access to a broad range
of commodity procurement programs. The BOA solicitation process
should have resulted in contracts in rounds three and four for
locally-sourcing contractors who were awarded in earlier
rounds. However, this was not the case because the BOA was
rolled out in concert with a shift toward prioritizing lower
price contracts. In future iterations, the BOA process can
provide additional stability for approved contractors because
of its flexibility, longer timeline, and adaptability. BOAs
allow Commodity Procurement to tailor the product specification
to the needs of the recipients. The BOA approval process allows
approved suppliers to access more opportunities seamlessly,
which could increase the amount of locally-produced food
purchased by USDA Commodity Procurement.
Coordinate with technical service providers and state
agencies to provide food safety and GAP certification technical
assistance and auditing services to contractors working to
bring GAP-ready small- and mid-sized producers into their
supply chains. The program's food safety requirement that all
contracted suppliers demonstrate GAP certification creates a
strong incentive for farmers who have been considering
certification to accelerate their process and receive a USDA
GAP audit. GAP certification not only allows farmers to
participate in this program but has the potential to unlock
other wholesale markets that require GAP Certification.
[GRAPHICS NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
Conclusion
Based on our research, it is clear that USDA has a unique
opportunity to simultaneously support small- and mid-sized farms,
invest in local food supply chains, and address hunger. The FFFB
program, conceived as a way to both support farm income and meet
emergency food needs, was successful in those aims in the first two
rounds for the businesses and organizations the Wallace Center
interviewed. The program provided a `proof of concept' that AMS
Commodity Procurement can successfully transact with businesses in the
local and regional food sector. The Farmers to Families Food Box
Program demonstrated many tools and characteristics that can make
similar programs resoundingly successful.
There is significant untapped potential for positive impact within
the local food sector, and with support and partnership from USDA,
programs like the Farmers to Families Food Box can help activate it. We
are extremely grateful for the partnership and guidance that the Agency
has provided the Wallace Center as we've supported and analyzed this
program and look forward to continuing to explore the possibilities.
About the Wallace Center
The Wallace Center at Winrock International is a national nonprofit
that brings together diverse people and ideas to co-create solutions
that build healthy farms, equitable economies, and resilient food
systems. Wallace has been a leader in the development of healthy
regional food and farming systems for over 35 years, working to scale
up the supply and positive environmental, social, and economic benefits
of regional, sustainably produced food. We seek to affect systems
change to bring benefits to the environment, to communities, and to the
farmers and food businesses that are the building blocks of a healthy
and equitable food system. For more information, reach out to Co-
Director Susan Lightfoot Schempf, susan.schempf@winrock.org.
Acknowledgements
We'd like to offer our gratitude to USDA staff, in the Commodity
Procurement and Transportation and Marketing divisions of AMS in
particular, for both their extraordinary effort in creating and
implementing this program, and their continual support of Wallace
Center as we worked with the contractors and compiled this report. We
are so grateful for your partnership. Secondly, this research and
technical assistance would have been impossible without the commitment
and brilliance of our external partners, Evan Smith of Alden Services
and Kate Fitzgerald of Fitzgerald Canepa. Finally, and most
importantly, we are eternally grateful for and so deeply inspired by
the contractors who shared their stories, ideas, time, and dedication
to making the food system work better for all of us. You all are heroes
and we hope we did you justice!
Surveyed Contractors
Willing Hands Norwich, VT Fresh Approach Oakland, CA
Zone 7, LLC Ringoes, NJ Malama Kaua`i Lihue, HI
Aggrigator, Inc. Watsonville, CA Lake County Community Development
Corp Ronan, MT
North Alabama Agriplex Cullman, AL Cecarellis Harrison Hill Farm, LLC.
Northford, CT
GrowFood Carolina Charleston SC Mycoterra Farm South Deerfield, MA
A & H Farm Manhattan, KS Willimantic Food Coop Willimantic,
CT
Eastern Market Partnership Detroit, The Berry Man, Inc. Santa Barbara,
MI CA
Juniper Hill Farms LLC Lawrence, KS Inland Northwest Farmers Market
Association Spokane, WA
North Coast Opportunities/MendoLake Fossil Creek Farms, LLC. Fort
Food Hub Ukiah, CA Collins, CO
ALL Holding Company, LLC. The Common Market Philadelphia, PA
Souderton, PA
Riverside Unified School District Gourmet Gorilla Chicago, IL
Food Hub Riverside, CA
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______
Letter Submitted by Hon. Tracey Mann, a Representative in Congress from
Kansas; on Behalf of Barry Feaker, Executive Director, Topeka Rescue
Mission Ministries
March 11, 2020
Hon. David Scott,
Chairman,
House Committee on Agriculture,
Washington, D.C.;
Hon. Glenn Thompson,
Ranking Minority Member,
House Committee on Agriculture,
Washington, D.C.
Dear Chairman Scott and Ranking Member Thompson:
Thank you for holding a hearing on food insecurity in America. The
times we are living in are far from normal, leaving millions of
Americans struggling, with the demand for food assistance outpacing
existing systems that address hunger. As a nonprofit organization on
the frontlines of this tremendous challenge, we are encouraged to see
Congressional leaders prioritizing this pressing issue.
In response to the coronavirus pandemic, the Topeka Rescue Mission
rapidly developed Operation Food Secure--a powerful network of 90+
civic and faith-based groups distributing Farmers to Families Food
Boxes ``the last mile'' into neighborhoods and rural communities across
eight Kansas counties. This week, our program reaches an important
milestone: delivering our 100,000th food box to a family in need.
There are countless stories of ways that these food boxes have been
leveraged to strengthen neighborhoods and communities. Placing these
resources in the hands of capable and empowered nonprofits has the
potential to address root causes of food insecurity.
For instance, one of our sites is a church in a small town of
1,300. The volunteer leaders received a call from an elementary school
guidance counselor about a single mom who was new in town and needed
food for her children. Members from the church delivered a food box to
the mom and through the interaction learned that her car was having
mechanical issues and not running properly. The church members teamed
up together to take her car into the shop and get it fixed for her.
Another site is a Neighborhood Improvement Association in a low-
income neighborhood. The volunteers noticed that a man who regularly
comes to get a food box was missing. They asked around and found out he
had a stroke. Their team checked in with him and began delivering the
food boxes to his home and meeting other physical needs as he recovers.
He said, ``I'm so thankful, this food has been so helpful to offset the
incurring medical bills from my stoke.''
Another site in a Topeka food desert delivers to a senior citizen
in their neighborhood. The gentleman thanked our volunteers for the
food and said they could take him off their list. His finances have
stabilized and over the last couple of deliveries he has been sharing
the food with coworkers in need. This is a great story of a senior who
needed the food for a time, shared what he didn't need, and then asked
to be taken off the list so someone else could receive the food.
We are grateful that Farmers to Families fits perfectly at the
nexus of so many vital issues: supporting American farmers and the food
supply chain, preventing food waste and loss, reducing barriers to
nutritious foods for vulnerable populations, and leveraging the
potential of local communities to step up and meet the needs of their
neighbors. Our team urges you to continue the Farmers to Families Food
Box Program as a nimble and innovative way to address food insecurity
in concert with existing Federal nutrition programs.
Sincerely,
[GRAPHICS NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
Barry Feaker,
Executive Director, Topeka Rescue Mission Ministries.
Operation Food Secure Site Partners
The following list represents the social service organizations,
churches, Tribes, and other community groups who have hosted Farmers to
Families Food Box distributions under Operation Food Secure.
Douglas County Ebenezer Baptist Church
El Encuentro Iglesia
Anchor Church El Shaddai Templo De Alabanza
Boys and Girls Club Lawrence First Baptist Church of Silver Lake
First Presbyterian Church
Jackson County Gametime Living Facility
Mayetta United Methodist Church Grace Episcopal Cathedral
Nueva Vida/Evangel United Methodist Grace Point Church
Church
Habitat for Humanity
Jefferson County Hospitality Incubator Program
JayHawk Area Agency on Aging
Jefferson Assembly of God Kansas Avenue United Methodist
Church
Valley Falls Fire Department Kansas Children's Service League
Let's Help
Morris County Light of the World Church
Likins Foster Neighborhood
Improvement Association
Morris County Care & Share LULAC Senior Center
Alta Vista Christian Church Mount Carmel Missionary Baptist
Church
Community Christian Church New Beginnings Baptist Church
Council Grove Christian Church New Life Baptist Church
Council Grove Senior Citizen Center New Mount Zion Baptist Church
Dunlap Council Grove United Northland Christian Church
Methodist Church
Flint Hills Apostle Church Oakland United Methodist Church
Wilsey Christian Church Old Town Neighborhood Improvement
Association
Omni Circle Group
Osage County Pioneer Motive Power Place
Apartments
Prince of Peace
Cross Road Community Church Remember to Remember
ECAT (Ecumenical Christian Action Rossville Christian Church
Team) Osage City
Grace Community Church Overbrook Salvation Army
Heritage Country Church Seaman Community Church
Lyndon United Methodist Church Second Baptist Church
Valley View Apartments Shiloh Baptist Church
Silver Lake United Methodist Church
Riley County St. John's African Methodist
Episcopal Church
St. John's Lutheran Church
Remnant Church Sunshine Connection
Rock Hills Church Tables of Blessing Community Food
Drive
The Woods Church
Shawnee County Topeka Black Lives Matter
Topeka City Union Mission
Asbury Mount Olive United Methodist Topeka Family Friends Juneteenth
Church
Boys and Girls Club of Topeka Topeka First Assembly Oakland
Bread of Life Topeka Housing Authority
Burgess Court Mobile Home Topeka North Outreach
Communities
Central Park Christian Church Trinity Lutheran Church
Christian Neighbor Center Trinity Presbyterian Church
Church of God Fellowship True Vine Missionary Baptist Church
Citizen Potawatomi Nation Valeo Behavioral Health
College Hill Neighborhood Valley Park Neighborhood
Improvement Association Improvement Association
Communities in Schools: Ross
Elementary School, State Street Wabaunsee County
Elementary School
Community Action
Cowboy Church Cheryl Christiansen--St. Mary's,
Kansas
East Topeka Senior Center Maple Hill Church
______
Submitted Questions
Response from Kyle Waide, President and Chief Executive Officer,
Atlanta Community Food Bank
Question Submitted by Hon. Jimmy Panetta, a Representative in Congress
from California
Question. Mr. Waide, many active duty military families were
already experiencing food insecurity before the COVID-19 pandemic, and
we know that the number of these families has only increased since
March of 2020. Food banks operate on or near every military
installation, and one out of every three children attending a
Department of Defense-run school is eligible for free or reduced price
meals. Given the high rate of food insecurity among our military
families, do you believe that the Federal Government should develop and
support targeted solutions to help end food insecurity among those
currently serving and alleviate the burden this inaction places on food
banks?
Answer. Feeding America is advocating for the inclusion of a
Military Family Basic Needs Allowance in the FY 22 National Defense
Authorization Act to provide a monthly allowance for service members
whose income is less than 130% of poverty level. The Military Family
Basic Needs Allowance would need to be reauthorized yearly, as the NDAA
establishes annual policy and spending policies. Based on data about
service member's pay and family sizes, the Congressional Budget Office
has estimated that approximately 10,200 service members would receive
an average allowance of $400 per month.
Questions Submitted by Hon. Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan, a Delegate
in Congress from Northern Mariana Islands
Question 1. We know that food access can be more difficult in rural
and remote areas like the Northern Mariana Islands. What can you tell
us about how rural and remote food banks like Karidat, Empty Vessel,
Grace Christian, or the Salvation Army on Saipan are meeting the needs
of their communities?
Answer. Food access to rural communities continues to be a struggle
throughout the country and territories. We've seen innovation through
mobile markets that travel throughout rural communities or partnering
with local schools to distribute food to children. Another innovation
is food banks will partner with food retail partners, such as grocery
stores or restaurants, to get excess food to those in need across a
community.
Question 2. Mr. Waide, your testimony touches on your efforts to
ensure that you are serving people equitably. Can you expand on what
you are doing to reach racial and ethnic minority groups and veterans
who face food insecurity at much higher rates?
Answer. We know that there are certain characteristics that make a
household more likely to experience food insecurity. Households that
include members of a minority ethnicity, children, a veteran of a
recent war or a household member with a disability are all more likely
to experience food insecurity. Latino households are two times more
likely to be food-insecure than white households. Black households are
2.2 times more likely to be food-insecure. As we try to respond to
these realities in our service area we take two primary strategies. We
utilize data on the demographics and characteristics of the communities
we serve to help us determine if we are doing a good enough job in
distributing our resources--food, dollars and attention--equitably
across those communities. If we see gaps in areas where there is
elevated need driven by these social characteristics we take steps to
bring more resources to bear in those communities. Second we work very
hard to develop strong collaborative partner relationships with
organizations that are trusted and known in communities of elevated
need. Intentionally establishing these organizations as partners with
the food bank allows us to bring the core resource of food to an
organization that is already working directly with individuals and
communities that are experiencing higher rates of food insecurity. One
example of this in our pandemic response has been the partnerships we
have established to respond to the elevated need within the Latino
community. Early in our response we began a partnership with Telemundo
Atlanta and Plaza Fiesta, a Latino owned central shopping center, to
establish regular food distributions that were promoted, staffed and
supported by trusted Latino led organizations. This has allowed us to
fill a key gap in our ability to meet need in that community.
Question 3. Mr. Waide, your testimony talks about how vitally
important SNAP is as the nation's first line of defense against hunger.
The Northern Mariana Islands does not participate in SNAP and receives
a block grant instead. What would the cost to charities and nonprofits
be to fill in the gaps if SNAP benefits were reduced or capped?
Answer. For every meal one of the 200 Feeding America food bank
provides, SNAP provides nine. Block granting of the program would mean
that they would have a fixed annual funding that would render the
programs unable to automatically respond to increased need, as they do
today. As need increases, states would have to cut eligibility or
benefits or establish waiting lists to stay within capped funding. The
charitable sector simply would not be able to fill in the gap that
capping SNAP benefits would create.
Response from Zippy Duvall, President, American Farm Bureau Federation
Questions Submitted by Hon. Troy Balderson, a Representative in
Congress from Ohio
Question 1. An issue I've been paying especially close attention
to, as I believe we all have, is the ability of producers to deliver
their goods to consumers throughout this pandemic. In your testimony,
you mentioned the long food lines many of us saw that were a result of
the supply chain disruption. Was there a measurable change between the
ability to provide for the food-insecure before the establishment of
the Farmers to Families Food Box Program, and after?
Answer. There was absolutely positive measurable change in farmers'
ability to deliver goods to food banks due to the Farmers to Families
Food Box Program. Giving back and supporting local communities has long
been a priority for farmers and ranchers, and the pandemic only
strengthened that desire to help our neighbors. However, due to
donation requirements for stability and shelf life, it was difficult
for farmers to find outlets to get their products straight from the
farm to the local food bank. But once COVID-19 hit, and the overall
food supply chain broke down, the need to move farm-fresh food through
local food banks to match supply with demand became imperative, and it
was the Farmers to Families Food Box Program that helped connect those
dots
Question 2. As we approach the 1 year anniversary of the first
COVID relief package passing, what are the most significant obstacles
American farmers, processors, and distributors continue to face when
trying to provide the most for those in need?
Answer. Access to labor was an issue prior to the pandemic and has
continued to be a top issue for farmers and ranchers. We continue to
advocate for reforms to the guest worker program to ensure it is
economical, user-friendly, and available to all agricultural
industries, not just seasonal and temporary work. We also advocate for
our existing workforce to have an opportunity to achieve legal status.
The pandemic emphasized the areas in which the H-2A program is in
dire need of reform. Early on, consulates throughout the globe were
closed or operating at minimal capacity, putting the timely arrival of
H-2A workers in jeopardy and potentially delaying the planting and
harvesting of American crops. Thanks to the efforts of Farm Bureau and
other agriculture groups, these workers were deemed essential and
granted waivers. Yet, even before the pandemic, it was not unusual for
farmers to face weeks, even months, of delays in paperwork processing
to get the workers they need.
Additionally, at a time when farmers saw their revenues plummet due
to sudden shifts in the supply chain, farmers using the H-2A program
saw their labor costs increase on average 6% compared to the previous
year due to the H-2A program requirement to pay H-2A employees the
adverse effect wage rate. American agriculture desperately needs H-2A
wage reform if these farms are going to remain viable and continue to
play a role in protecting our national food supply.
Finally, as COVID-19 vaccine availability increases, farmworkers
who lack proper documentation continue to face challenges accessing
vaccines in states where IDs are required for inoculation. Situations
like this further emphasize the need to provide stability for our
longstanding employees, while continuing their work in agriculture,
alongside reforms to the H-2A guestworker program.
Response from Eric Hodel, Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial
Officer, Midwest Food Bank
Question Submitted by Hon. Troy Balderson, a Representative in Congress
from Ohio
Question. Your methods for distributing food to those in need is
less reliant on government control than many others. The Farmers to
Families Food Box Program does the same thing--unleashing the power and
innovation of the private-sector. In your experiences, has greater
government control of food distribution been a positive or has it
produced more issues than solutions?
Answer. Our experience at Midwest Food Bank is to leverage
entrepreneurial spirit with heart to serve those in need and to work
efficiently and effectively to source food and distribute it to our
agencies. The Farmers to Families Food Box Program had just enough
structure to ensure food was going to agencies and pantries but did not
require significant reporting which would have added administrative
burden and cost. Yes, we support government support and access to help
fight food insecurity but recommend not burdening the process with
heavy regulations or control.
Response from Ron Edenfield, President and Chief Executive Officer,
Wayfield Foods, Inc.
Questions Submitted by Hon. Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan, a Delegate
in Congress from Northern Mariana Islands
Question 1. Mr. Edenfield, you testified on the importance of SNAP
as an economic stimulator. How does SNAP stimulate local economies?
Answer. SNAP is a unique government program. Participants are given
benefits that they can redeem in their local grocery store for food
purchases. The grocery store is often a cornerstone in communities,
serving as both a major employer and economic generator for other
businesses. By having participants redeem their benefits in a store,
those funds function like any other tender from in-store, going to pay
employees wages and benefits. Additionally, with SNAP benefits targeted
directly toward food, families are not faced with the decision on
whether to buy groceries or pay rent. Instead, they can use their SNAP
benefits to help pay for the grocery bills while allocating funds to
also pay for rent and other necessities that drive a local economy. Our
partners in the hunger community often share that for every $1 spent on
SNAP benefits, the local community sees $1.80 in economic impact. A
2018 study commissioned by the National Grocers Association provides
data on the economic impact of the independent grocery industry and
underscores the importance of SNAP. Together with warehouse stores,
chain supermarkets and department stores, food retailers currently
provide almost four million jobs specifically dedicated to selling food
products available via SNAP. These retailers together sell almost $459
billion worth of food products, including $57 billion to SNAP
recipients, helping to ensure that families have the food they need.
These sales alone create over 529,000 jobs in the United States.
Question 2. The Northern Mariana Islands currently does not
participate in the SNAP program. Instead, the Marianas receives the
Nutritional Assistance program which is a capped block grant. Can you
explain why Block Grants lead to less access to needed food benefits?
Answer. SNAP enjoys true ubiquity amongst the states and therefore
significant administrative cost containment due to the economies of
scale. The same laws, regulations, technology and licensing
requirements apply across the fifty states and Washington, D.C. Due to
this, grocers' participation is much more streamlined and our payment
service providers can implement the program and its requirements into
our systems rather seamlessly.
Grocers and their SNAP customers both rely on this ubiquity and
standardization as do the states and the Federal Government. Because
the program is so streamlined, over 95% of SNAP funding goes directly
to benefits. In short, the government cost to administer is incredibly
low when you consider the size and scope of the program. As we work in
other Federal feeding programs such as WIC, we often point to the
ubiquity of SNAP as a gold standard for efficiencies. Because WIC is
administered uniquely in each state, the licensing and compliance
process for grocers is much more complicated and costly. Therefore, not
all grocers participate in WIC, and that lack or participation can
certainly create access issues for participants. I appreciate how the
challenges of the capped block grant do not allow the Northern Mariana
Islands to enjoy the efficiencies of scale and ability for SNAP to
respond quickly to increased need in the community. The grocery
industry operates on the slimmest of margins and if compliance costs
are too high, it can certainly impact its ability to participate in the
program and provide that service to a local community.
Thank you for your time and concern about this issue. It was my
pleasure to answer and provide more explanation about the SNAP program.
[all]