ACDEM seeking community support in distributing produce from local farmers

The Food Rescue ‘USDA Farmers to Families initiative’ is a way to help the Department of Agriculture make sure farmers are able to unload their produce while providing food for communities in need.

Still prohibited.

Many people have returned to work during the pandemic..but there remains a need for food assistance across the country.

Fox 55's jeremy masukevich shows us how the community's being asked to help feed fort wayne.

Nat melissa 9:45i think the attention to hunger and how its affecting families has really come to the forefront.

Food rescue u.s. is partnering with department of agriculture to distribute fresh produce from farmers.sot melissa 10:33 farmers that were producing micrograins for speciality restaurants that business basically dried up.

Those crops were already in the ground, now the farmers have to figure out a way to redistribute that product.the mission of food rescue u.s. to make sure food doesn't go to waste the usda farmers to families initiative has the goal of providing farmers a new way of distributing food.

Sot melissa 7:10the usda is paying farmers for produce which is then being packaged in 25 pound boxes and transported and distributed throughout the country.the allen county department of environmental management has partnered with food rescue u.s. since 2018.lower third: jodi leamon, acdem sustainability coordinator sot jodi 14:25the farmers don't have their typical distribution channels because covid and lots of people are struggling because of the same thing.

The acdem caught wind of the farmers to families initiative and wanted to help local farmers feed families in allen county.sot jodi 17:22its been so awesome to see the agencies come together and say i can take 100 or i can take 2.

We have volunteers lined up and ready to deliver those.

Through partnership with organizations helping feed allen county families the acdem is distributing 650 boxes throughout the community but the need continues to increase.sot jodi 15:28since then the distributor has decided it works better for them to bring larger quantities.the acdem is now looking for local groups to help distribute about one thousand boxes of food.jodi leamon hopes the community will be able to answer the call to distribute food where it is needed most.sot jodi 19:27many of us have worked together before but some of us haven't because we haven't known each other.

So this has been such a great opportunity to learn what the needs are throughout the community and how we can better assist with that.

In fort wayne, jeremy masukevich, fox 55 news if you are looking to if you are if you are looking to contribute to the u-s-d-a farmers to families initiative or know of an organization that can help with distribution..click on this story on our website