Farm to Food Bank Reauthorization Act will increase food for families in need by reimbursing farmers who donate their surplus products to food banks
Bill to expand Casey’s Farm to Food Bank program, bring food to Pennsylvania families, increase farmer compensation, reduce food waste
Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) introduced legislation to make it easier for local farmers to provide food banks with excess food to help people in need and ensure less food goes to waste. The Farm to Food Bank Reauthorization Act would extend and enhance the Farm to Food Bank Program, an initiative created by a Casey-led provision in the 2018 Farm Bill, which reimburses farmers for the costs of harvesting, packaging, processing, and transporting food they donate to food banks. As the rising cost of groceries continues to squeeze Pennsylvanians’ budgets, this legislation would continue a critical program to help families have access to nutritious foods while bolstering farmers’ bottom lines.
“Every day, Pennsylvania farmers do their part to make sure that families throughout the Commonwealth have enough to eat. This bill is a commonsense solution that makes sure farmers get compensated, families are fed, and good, nutritious food doesn’t go to waste,” said Senator Casey. “I fought for this program in the last Farm Bill and we owe it to our farmers, families, and communities to extend it.”
Across the Nation, 27 states receive funding from the Farm to Food Bank Program to help compensate farmers for donating their extra products to local food banks. In Pennsylvania, the Farm to Food Bank Reauthorization Act would further fund the Pennsylvania Agricultural Surplus System (PASS) program to support farmers who connect surplus food and people in need. This legislation would extend the program through 2029, increase funding and flexibility for the program, allow new avenues for farmers to provide food to food banks, and reduce the financial responsibility for states wishing to participate in the Farm to Food Bank Program.
Senator Casey has long fought make nutritious meals accessible to all Pennsylvanians. Earlier this year, Casey secured $7.03 billion in funding for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), helping nearly 7 million women, infants, and children access the healthy food they need. In 2023, Casey led the Child Care Nutrition Enhancement Act to help more child care centers overcome financial burdens to participate in the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP). He introduced the bipartisan Wise Investment in our Children (WIC) Act to expand eligibility for children to participate in the WIC program. In July 2023, Senator Casey introduced the Senior Nutrition Task Force Act and the Tools for Ensuring Access to Meals (TEAM) Act to tackle food insecurity among older adults and adults with disabilities.
Casey has also worked to help Pennsylvania farmers feed the Commonwealth. In 2018, Casey championed provisions in the Farm Bill to expand dairy margin coverage, protect crop coverage, strengthen the community safety net, and make conservation programs more accessible. Since then, Casey has delivered historic investments to Pennsylvania farmers to support everything from climate-smart agriculture to reducing operational costs. Between 2022 and 2023, the Emergency Food Assistance Program provided over 700 million meals to people facing hunger Nationwide. This year, Pennsylvania received $222,819 in reimbursements from the Farm to Food Bank Program.
Read more about the Farm to Food Bank Reauthorization Act here.
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