With the increasing unemployment and food insecurity rates that ensued in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, Senator Jessica Ramos knew that she needed to do something to alleviate the burdens of food insecurity on her constituents. After speaking with community members in Queens about their experiences and needs, she learned that the biggest issues at the time were in both the quality and quantity of the food distributed to those in need—not enough healthy, fresh produce existed to serve the drastic increase in demand. After identifying this problem, the senator connected with other state senators, churches, and organizations to become part of the solution—one of which was The Farmlink Project.
Since late-May, The Farmlink Project team has facilitated deliveries of 9,650 gallons of milk from Desert Ridge Produce, Pittsfield Creamery, and Natural Upcycling, (all in upstate New York), and 35,500 pounds of produce boxes from Pacific Produce in Michigan to food distribution organizations throughout Senator Ramos’ district in Queens, New York City.
The majority of Senator Ramos’ district is located in one of the “food deserts” of the city, meaning that residents lack access to affordable, healthy, fresh foods. This reality long pre-dated the COVID-19 crisis, but the dramatic exacerbation of food insecurity since the pandemic hit gave Senator Ramos the opportunity to develop a larger-scale solution. In doing so, the senator partnered with numerous organizations across her district to find and distribute fresh produce to those in need.
This initiative aims to target those in her district at higher risk of food insecurity, namely, the large immigrant population. Many of the undocumented immigrants in her district and beyond struggle at disproportionate rates as “excluded workers” because they are unable to receive any of the economic stimulus or government benefits due to their undocumented status. To help alleviate this burden, Senator Ramos connected with organizations that focus on feeding immigrant workers and day laborers, such as La Jornada and New Immigrant Community Empowerments (NICE), so that everyone, including those excluded undocumented individuals, can survive this economic crisis without going hungry. Our mission at The Farmlink Project aligns with Senator Ramos’—to feed as many as we can and bring down these food insecurity rates.
Laura Rubio, Senator Ramos’ Deputy Chief of Staff, stressed how deeply these food distributions have touched the lives of those served—some of them expressing that this would be their first meal in days. “People who have been living off depleting savings, don’t necessarily have the ability to self-isolate in their homes with their families, and have lost jobs are standing in line for hours to get food,” she described. “A meal with fresh produce means the world to someone who hasn’t even eaten in days.”
These changes are great. But how’s it all going to be funded?
During the comment process, Farmlink, as well as other food rescue organizations and coalitions, raised critical questions about how the strategy would be funded and, as a result, which measures are feasible. In particular, we hoped for more clarity beyond the draft’s statement that the USDA would use American Rescue Plan Act and Inflation Reduction Act funds and the EPA would use Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funds. Of the 86 programs or initiatives reviewed in the final strategy, only 15 are completely new programs announced in the strategy.
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The other 71 are existing programs or initiatives that either already have a food loss and waste focus or that the national strategy has repackaged as food loss and waste solutions. While we had hopes of new, innovative programs being included in the strategy, the good news with these 71 programs is that most, if not all, are already funded, meaning that they are not reliant on an increasingly turbulent Congress for implementation. Of the 15 new programs, which included the EPA’s new consumer education campaign and several new cooperative agreements with land-grant universities, only 2 had specific funding mechanisms. It has become increasingly clear that food rescue organizations and other stakeholders in the food and agriculture space should not consider this strategy as a new rollout of FLW solutions, programs, and funding but rather as an evaluation of the current resources and solutions and how each can be most effectively utilized to achieve the strategy’s goals. In particular, the framing of many of USDA’s programs as FLW solutions offers opportunities to utilize existing funding, data, and infrastructure to solve one of the United States’s most pressing problems.
Whats next?
Now that we have the strategy, it’s time to truly take advantage of the opportunities it presents. In the immediate future at Farmlink, we’re excited to continue optimizing Section 32 as a critical on-farm food loss solution as we anticipate significant surplus recoveries in the fall. As we move forward, we continue to advocate for dignity with food distribution, emphasizing cultural appropriateness and quality in every pound of food we rescue. As outlined in our comments, food rescue organizations are critical stakeholders and thought partners for the agencies. Our inclusion in the strategy as such is an opportunity we are taking full advantage of to help guide federal action to support farmers, feed communities, and heal the planet.
< BackWith the increasing unemployment and food insecurity rates that ensued in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, Senator Jessica Ramos knew that she needed to do something to alleviate the burdens of food insecurity on her constituents. After speaking with community members in Queens about their experiences and needs, she learned that the biggest issues at the time were in both the quality and quantity of the food distributed to those in need—not enough healthy, fresh produce existed to serve the drastic increase in demand. After identifying this problem, the senator connected with other state senators, churches, and organizations to become part of the solution—one of which was The Farmlink Project.
Since late-May, The Farmlink Project team has facilitated deliveries of 9,650 gallons of milk from Desert Ridge Produce, Pittsfield Creamery, and Natural Upcycling, (all in upstate New York), and 35,500 pounds of produce boxes from Pacific Produce in Michigan to food distribution organizations throughout Senator Ramos’ district in Queens, New York City.
The majority of Senator Ramos’ district is located in one of the “food deserts” of the city, meaning that residents lack access to affordable, healthy, fresh foods. This reality long pre-dated the COVID-19 crisis, but the dramatic exacerbation of food insecurity since the pandemic hit gave Senator Ramos the opportunity to develop a larger-scale solution. In doing so, the senator partnered with numerous organizations across her district to find and distribute fresh produce to those in need.
This initiative aims to target those in her district at higher risk of food insecurity, namely, the large immigrant population. Many of the undocumented immigrants in her district and beyond struggle at disproportionate rates as “excluded workers” because they are unable to receive any of the economic stimulus or government benefits due to their undocumented status. To help alleviate this burden, Senator Ramos connected with organizations that focus on feeding immigrant workers and day laborers, such as La Jornada and New Immigrant Community Empowerments (NICE), so that everyone, including those excluded undocumented individuals, can survive this economic crisis without going hungry. Our mission at The Farmlink Project aligns with Senator Ramos’—to feed as many as we can and bring down these food insecurity rates.
Laura Rubio, Senator Ramos’ Deputy Chief of Staff, stressed how deeply these food distributions have touched the lives of those served—some of them expressing that this would be their first meal in days. “People who have been living off depleting savings, don’t necessarily have the ability to self-isolate in their homes with their families, and have lost jobs are standing in line for hours to get food,” she described. “A meal with fresh produce means the world to someone who hasn’t even eaten in days.”
Senator Jessica Ramos
New York State Senator
With the increasing unemployment and food insecurity rates that ensued in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, Senator Jessica Ramos knew that she needed to do something to alleviate the burdens of food insecurity on her constituents. After speaking with community members in Queens about their experiences and needs, she learned that the biggest issues at the time were in both the quality and quantity of the food distributed to those in need—not enough healthy, fresh produce existed to serve the drastic increase in demand. After identifying this problem, the senator connected with other state senators, churches, and organizations to become part of the solution—one of which was The Farmlink Project.
Since late-May, The Farmlink Project team has facilitated deliveries of 9,650 gallons of milk from Desert Ridge Produce, Pittsfield Creamery, and Natural Upcycling, (all in upstate New York), and 35,500 pounds of produce boxes from Pacific Produce in Michigan to food distribution organizations throughout Senator Ramos’ district in Queens, New York City.
The majority of Senator Ramos’ district is located in one of the “food deserts” of the city, meaning that residents lack access to affordable, healthy, fresh foods. This reality long pre-dated the COVID-19 crisis, but the dramatic exacerbation of food insecurity since the pandemic hit gave Senator Ramos the opportunity to develop a larger-scale solution. In doing so, the senator partnered with numerous organizations across her district to find and distribute fresh produce to those in need.
This initiative aims to target those in her district at higher risk of food insecurity, namely, the large immigrant population. Many of the undocumented immigrants in her district and beyond struggle at disproportionate rates as “excluded workers” because they are unable to receive any of the economic stimulus or government benefits due to their undocumented status. To help alleviate this burden, Senator Ramos connected with organizations that focus on feeding immigrant workers and day laborers, such as La Jornada and New Immigrant Community Empowerments (NICE), so that everyone, including those excluded undocumented individuals, can survive this economic crisis without going hungry. Our mission at The Farmlink Project aligns with Senator Ramos’—to feed as many as we can and bring down these food insecurity rates.
Laura Rubio, Senator Ramos’ Deputy Chief of Staff, stressed how deeply these food distributions have touched the lives of those served—some of them expressing that this would be their first meal in days. “People who have been living off depleting savings, don’t necessarily have the ability to self-isolate in their homes with their families, and have lost jobs are standing in line for hours to get food,” she described. “A meal with fresh produce means the world to someone who hasn’t even eaten in days.”
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