As reported in The Providence Journal, the federal funding freeze is putting Farm Fresh RI—and the farmers and community members who rely on us—at serious risk.
Farm Fresh receives about 40% of its funding from the federal government. Without it, our critical programs that connect local farmers with those in need could disappear. Without these programs, farmers will lose vital income; families who rely on Bonus Bucks to afford fresh food will struggle; food pantries will face shortages; and public school students across the state will lose access to locally grown food.
The impacts of a loss in federal funding wouldn’t just be felt by farmers. The three programs that may be most at risk at Farm Fresh are also aimed at supporting vulnerable populations. The largest is their Bonus Bucks program, which offers incentives to people who qualify for Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program benefits to shop at farmers markets. This program leverages federal grant money to offer a dollar-for-dollar match on SNAP purchases in order to encourage recipients to buy fresh fruit and vegetables from local sources. It offers recipients healthier eating alternatives and keeps their spending in state.
Farm Fresh started the Bonus Bucks program in 2009, has since helped expand it across New England, and is currently in charge of a nearly $5 million USDA grant that expires next year to pay for Bonus Bucks in Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Vermont and Maine.
“The current funding has not been disrupted as yet, but the application for future funding has been taken down,” said Farm Fresh executive director Jesse Rye.
Farm Fresh also runs a program using USDA funds to buy fresh produce from Rhode Island farmers to stock food pantries. Funding is set to run out this year, and they submitted an application before the change in administration for another $1.2 million to cover the costs of the program for three more years, but they have yet to hear anything about it.
Farm Fresh RI is in the direct line of fire of any federal funding cuts. But farmers, too, would suffer if Bonus Bucks, their farm to school program, or their hunger relief work goes away, Rye said. They would already be buying seeds and making other preparations to supply those programs.
“Finding new markets for their produce is much harder than making good on the commitments that are already there,” Rye said. “We’ll try our best to mitigate those impacts, but in some cases, there won’t be another market that can step in.”
We need your help to protect our local food system now more than ever. Donate to Farm Fresh RI today–every dollar counts.
For media inquiries, please contact communications@farmfreshri.org
