Tuesday, February 27, 2024

Budget conference: Senate serves up $6.5M for Farm Share

Jacob Ogles

February 27

Senate appropriators just served up $6.5 million worth of good news for Farm Share.

The latest Senate Agriculture, Environment, and General Government Appropriations offer matches funding levels for the food program already included in the House budget.

Both chambers of the Legislature now have $6.5 million set aside for Farm Share, a nonprofit dedicated to making sure "food-insecure Floridians receive the food and support they need."

The state food bank was established in 1991, and now partners with more than 2,000 food pantries, churches, schools and other nonprofits throughout Florida.

Farm Share leaders lobbied for funding this year, noting that inflation in food costs has made its mission especially critical.

The $6.5 million funding in the state budget matches what the Legislature delivered to Farm Share last year. Stephen Shelley, Farm Share president and CEO, said in a Florida Politics op-ed in January that investment brought a 14-fold return, transformed into 50 million pounds of food with a fair market value of nearly $90 million.

"Farm Share relies on the commitment and dedication of countless farmers, donors, volunteers, employees — and most importantly, the Florida Legislature," Shelley wrote.

"For more than 20 years, the Legislature has partnered with (and invested in) Farm Share to feed hungry families, children, seniors, and individuals in need from Pensacola to Key West. This investment has helped generate and distribute over 1 billion pounds of food to Floridians since Farm Share's inception."

Farm Share also plays a critical role during disaster relief, helping after major hurricanes hit the region but also in periods like the 2019 federal government shutdown. The latter seems especially relevant as Congress teeters on the brink of another shutdown as soon as this week.

The latest agreement with the Legislature's agriculture appropriators comes a day after the chambers also came together on $33 million for an emergency food distribution program and giving $6.5 million to Feeding Florida.