USDA Provides $ 700 Million In Grants To Help Farmers And Food Workers Affected By COVID-19
Washington DC – U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Vilsack announced that $ 700 million in competitive grants will be available under the new Farm and Food Workers Relief (FFWR) grant program to help farm workers and workers in the packaging of meat to meet the health and safety costs associated with the pandemic.
The announcement was made during a press call with United Farm Workers Foundation Executive Director Diana Tellefson Torres and United Food and Commercial Workers International President Marc Perrone.
The program will provide relief to farm workers, meat packers and frontline grocery store workers for expenses incurred due to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic. This relief is intended to cover reasonable and necessary personal, family or living expenses related to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, such as the costs of personal protective equipment (PPE), dependent care and expenses. associated with quarantines and testing related to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic.
This aligns with the Administration’s efforts to revitalize the economy and provide relief to historically underserved communities. The Request for Request (RFA) will be announced in early fall and will be open for 60 days. Additional information and technical assistance in applying for these grants and program updates will be provided by USDA when the application period opens.
“As we celebrate the social and economic achievements of workers in our country on Labor Day, we recognize that our farm workers, meat packers and grocers have overcome unprecedented challenges and took significant personal risks to ensure that Americans can feed and support their families throughout the pandemic. Said Secretary Vilsack.
“They deserve to be recognized for their resilience and financial support in their efforts to meet personal and family needs while continuing to provide essential services. This grant program is another component of this administration’s efforts to ensure that aid to mitigate the effects of the pandemic is delivered to those who need it most, ”said Vilsack.
“Let us not forget the sacrifices made by agricultural workers as essential workers in order to keep our food supply intact during the pandemic. And as we honor the contributions of workers in our country, let us show our gratitude to the men and women who feed America and the world. The UFW Foundation has worked tirelessly to advance legislation that would allow USDA to support agricultural workers throughout this pandemic, ”said Diana Tellefson Torres, executive director of the UFW Foundation.
“We now applaud the Biden-Harris administration, Secretary Vilsack and the USDA for recognizing the vital role of agricultural workers in the food security and economy of the country, through this new program. The job isn’t done until this much-needed pandemic relief reaches farm workers across the country, and we look forward to working with the USDA to that end, ”Tellefson said.
“American meat packers and grocers have been on the front lines since the start of the pandemic, risking their health every day to keep our food supply secure during this crisis. This new USDA grant program recognizes the incredible service and sacrifices of our nation’s essential food workers by providing them with the essential financial support they need, said UFCW International President Marc Perrone.
“Meat packing factories experienced some of the deadliest COVID-19 coronavirus outbreaks early in the pandemic and there are few workers more deserving of our thanks and support. All over the country, meat packing workers have had to use their own money to pay for personal protective equipment to stay safe on the job, shoulder the burden of rising childcare costs, defray the expenses related to testing and quarantining the COVID-19 coronavirus, and much more, ”said Perrone.
The funds will be allocated through grants to state agencies, tribal entities and non-profit organizations serving agricultural workers and meat-packing workers ranging from $ 5,000,000 to $ 50. $ 000,000. The USDA is setting aside $ 20 million for at least one pilot project to provide targeted support to frontline grocers.
Eligible entities must demonstrate their ability to reimburse agricultural workers and meat packaging workers up to $ 600 for expenses incurred due to the 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) encourages applications for grants that demonstrate reliable communication networks with farm laborers, meat packers and / or frontline grocers, as well as strict financial controls .
The grant requires applicants to demonstrate a connection to hard-to-reach worker populations, either directly or in partnership with other local organizations. Applicants should be able to describe how they will partner with smaller organizations to facilitate financial assistance to these populations.
The Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) will offer technical assistance through one or more partners and webinars to applicants to help them understand the call for proposals, once it is published.
Additionally, grant management specialists will be available to answer any questions and inbound emails after details are announced. For more information on upcoming webinars, grant eligibility, and program requirements, visit the FFWR webpage at www.ams.usda.gov/services/grants/ffwr or contact us To .
Applications should be submitted electronically via www.grants.gov. A press release and subsequent documents will detail the application deadlines and procedures.
The USDA will also soon announce a separate suite of $ 700 million of pandemic safety and response grants for producers, processors, farmer’s markets, seafood distributors and processors and ships. affected by the COVID-19 coronavirus.
Citing lessons learned from the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic and recent supply chain disruptions, the USDA earlier this month announced plans to invest more than $ 4 billion to strengthen supply chains. ‘Critical Procurement under USDA’s Build Back Better Initiative to Strengthen and Transform the Food System, using funding from the American Rescue Plan and the Consolidated Appropriations Act.
The effort will strengthen the food system, create new market opportunities, tackle the climate crisis, help communities that have been left behind, and support well-paying jobs along the supply chain. A transformed food system will give producers a greater share of the food dollar and make farming a more attractive career. It will also improve the nutrition and health of Americans, reducing health care costs and diet-related illnesses.
Through USDA’s Build Back Better initiative, USDA will help ensure that the food system of the future is fair, competitive, distributed and resilient; supports health with access to healthy and affordable food; ensure that producers and workers receive a greater share of the food dollar; and advances equity as well as resilience and climate change mitigation.
About the US Department of Agriculture
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) touches the lives of all Americans every day in so many positive ways. In Joe Biden-Kamala Harris Administration, USDA Transforms America’s Food System With Greater Focus on More Resilient Local and Regional Food Production, Fairer Markets for All Producers, Ensuring Access to Food safe, healthy and nutritious in all communities, building new markets and income streams for farmers and producers using climate-smart food and forestry practices, making historic investments in clean energy infrastructure and capacity in rural America, and committing to equity department-wide by removing systemic barriers and creating a workforce that is more representative of America.
To learn more, visit www.usda.gov.