EDGEWOOD, Wash. — A federal program helping feed families in Washington is at risk of expiring. Without another stimulus package, funding for the federal Farm to Family program will end on October 31.
The program is organized and run by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Farm to Family contracts farms and fills individual boxes with food. USDA said more then 100 million boxes have been distributed nationwide.
The program has been helping people feed their families through the pandemic.
"You couldn't possibly get more than $15 worth of food [in this box] and the fact that you're here to get about $15 worth of food speaks volumes," said Angel Swanson, president of the non-profit Feeding Feasible Feasts.
Swanson said the boxes are delivered to residents and nursing homes and they can be distributed at religious institutions.
If the federal government isn't going to fund Farm to Family, she hopes the states can step-in and help.
"We have everything here we need. We have the farmers, we have the packing houses, we have the transportation companies. We can package our own packages and ship them. We don't need to USDA in my mind," Swanson said. "We're able to fund other COVID pandemic type things and this seems to fall into that category."
The program contracts local farmers. According to data from the USDA Cascadia Farm Collective LLC. in Seattle has a contract worth $2,736,000 and Garden Fresh Foods in Woodinville has a contract valued at $1,126,199.
Swanson wants to get the attention of the Legislature in Olympia and find a plan to save the program before time runs out.