This article first published in the Traverse City Record-Eagle Agriculture Forum.

Earlier this year, Groundwork Center for Resilient Communities urged all who want healthy food access in their communities to call their federal representatives and tell them to support the Expanding Access To (EAT) Local Foods Act, which would create a permanent federal grant program for state and tribal governments to procure local foods for distribution to nearby feeding programs.

Such funding has already made a tremendous impact on our community. Groundwork works in partnership with the Northwest Food Coalition (our region’s network of food pantries, meal sites, and baby pantries) and Food Rescue (a program of Goodwill Northern Michigan) to purchase nutritious, healthy food grown locally, and we distribute that food to food-insecure people and families. The purchases invest in our area’s family farms and increase the amount of healthy food available to those who need it.

The Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians generously shared USDA funds with the coalition.

For the past two growing seasons, purchases have been funded through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement Program (LFPA), which was initiated in response to the national agriculture supply chain disruptions during the pandemic. The USDA awarded grants to state and tribal governments to procure local foods for distribution to nearby feeding programs. The Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians generously shared USDA funds with the coalition. The band plays a critical role in the regional food system by supporting the coalition’s local purchases and by growing and distributing food to the GTB community.

Through our efforts, we’ve been able to purchase more than $400,000 of fresh fruits and vegetables, and proteins like ground beef and eggs, from 23 farms and food producers in our community. This means our food pantries and meal sites have produce tables overflowing with local produce. Our area’s farmers can count on another market segment into which they can sell their products, and they know that the food pantries and meal sites will pay a fair price throughout the year.

The Local Food Purchase Assistance Program is one of the most successful initiatives from the USDA in years. It helps farmers and producers stabilize their businesses, supports the production of local food and provides nutritious food for those most in need. The program also provides a mechanism to bridge the food system and anti-hunger sectors in a way that allows food producers and food access organizations to meet their respective goals — economic viability and an end to hunger.

I am pleased to share that in October, the USDA announced a $500 million commitment to continuing the LFPA program. Groundwork applauds the USDA’s continued commitment to strengthening local and regional supply chains, and we have no doubt that this commitment was made in response to the education and advocacy from members of our community for the EAT Local Food Act. Post-election, as we move forward with new administrations at the local, state and federal levels, it will be more important than ever to educate and advocate for programs like these to continue making an impact in our communities.

Christina Barkel is Groundwork’s Food Equity Specialist.
christina.barkel@groundworkcenter.org