SACRAMENTO—California’s agriculture agency is teaming with a nonprofit organization on a campaign to boost donations of fresh farm goods to local food banks.
The state Department of Food and Agriculture and the California Association of Food Banks have embarked on a social media campaign and are making presentations to farm groups to extol the virtues of donating.
The CAFB’s Farm to Family program has a goal of increasing contributions from the more than 140 million pounds of fresh food donated in 2014 to 200 million this year, said Sue Sigler, the association’s executive director.
“Food banks are always looking for donations of all kinds of food,” Sigler said, adding that the Farm to Family program is primarily seeking “fresh produce for our food banks to distribute to people in need.”
The campaign was kicked off in December, as state Food and Agriculture Secretary Karen Ross toured a fresh produce facility and met with media to promote the #CAGrown social media hashtag.
Consumers who share of picture of a California-grown product on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram with the hashtag will generate a one-pound food donation to a food bank from California Grown, a state- and federally funded promotion campaign.
Sigler said farmers who donate fresh goods may be eligible for state and federal tax credits, and some may receive small reimbursements for picking and packing costs from the Farm to Family program.
“Beyond that, we hope we serve for some farmers as a way to rid themselves of excess inventory,” Sigler said. “For any seconds or culls or B-grade, No. 2 products, we know often times those are perfectly edible and nutritious even if they don’t meet retail expectations.”
For recipients, the program improves access to healthy foods and gives their children exposure to fresh products they’ll want to consume as adults, she said.
“Farmers can be satisfied knowing their donations could feed their friends, neighbors or people in their community,” she said.
Source: www.capitalpress.com