A bit of good news arrived to us this afternoon from Food for People, Humboldt County’s food bank. The nonprofit organization’s development director, David Reed, tells the Outpost via email that upon learning about the Trump administration’s decision to eliminate the USDA’s Local Food Purchase Assistance program, a local couple reached out.
“They were very concerned about the neighbors we serve and our local farmers,” Reed said. “They decided to do something about their concerns and have pledged to match any donation made to our Locally Delicious Farmers Fund up to $50,000.”
Reed said the generous couple does not want to be the center of the story, but they did give their permission to be named in the press release below and to have some of their words shared. Reed said their gift will have a significant impact.
“This is a huge deal for us,” he said. “It will make a dent in the roughly $300,000 we expected to spend on local food through the Local Food Purchase Assistance program starting this summer.”
That figure is an estimate based on the annual award received by Food for People received over the last three years, he clarified.
Here’s the press release from Food for People:
In response to Federal Cuts to food banks, two dedicated supporters of Food for
People, have stepped forward with a $50,000 pledge to match every donation made to the
food bank’s Locally Delicious Farmers Fund through June 6th. Melanie Williams and Barbara
Goldberg decided to make the commitment after they learned that the federal government had
ended a key program Food for People uses to purchase locally grown food from small farmers
and other producers.
“When we learned this vital funding had been cut we felt a sense of urgency. Farming is Earth-based, the growing season has begun, we can’t wait. Our local farmers need our financial
support now to insure local seniors, children and tribal people have healthy food again this
season,” Williams and Goldberg say.
For the past three years, Food for People received an average of $360,000 annually from the US
Department of Agriculture’s Local Food Purchase Assistance (LFPA) Program, which funded the
purchase of locally grown produce from small farmers. On March 10, that vital funding was
abruptly cut leaving a major gap for the food bank and local farmers. The funds enabled Food
for People to purchase from local farmers through the North Coast Growers Association’s
Harvest Hub, providing nearly 90,000 pounds of fresh produce last year alone.
“The unexpected cut to LFPA was a huge blow for us, and it is harmful for the local farming
community,” says Carly Robbins Food for People’s Executive Director, “Many farmers had
already planned their growing based on these funds, some already have crops in the ground.
This challenge to raise funds for our Locally Delicious Farmers Fund will help us keep supporting
our local farmers and get fresh produce to our neighbors.”
The Locally Delicious Farmers Fund was created in 2010 by a group of women dubbed The
Heirloom Tomatoes. The group’s dual goals were to make sure that people who access Food
for People’s programs had access to more local foods and to support small farms and the local
food system.
The challenge runs through June 7 or until the $50,000 goal is reached. Donations can be made
by mail to Food for People, PO Box 4922 Eureka, CA 95502 or by giving online at:
tinyurl.com/Food-for-People-Farmers-Fund.
Williams and Goldberg say this is an opportunity for Humboldt to turn a setback into something
positive, “Together we can increase our resilience, strengthen our local nutritional security,
avoid damaging long distance shipping and monoculture practices, and guarantee that by late
summer everyone at Food for People will know the taste of fresh produce.”
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Food for People, the food bank for Humboldt County, distributed 2.4 million pounds of food last
year, and its services reach more than 21,000 people monthly. Food for People’s 18 programs
include a countywide network of emergency food pantries, food distribution programs for
children, seniors and homebound individuals, nutrition education and outreach activities, local
food recovery and disaster relief, as well as many partnerships throughout the community. For
more information, go to www.foodforpeople.org.
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