In celebration of National Nutrition Month, The Idaho Foodbank has launched a statewide effort to increase the food and funds collected in March and provide hungry Idahoans with food for more than 1,000,000 healthy and nutritious meals.
The government has reopened until at least February 15, 2019, but there are still significant concerns about the shutdown’s lingering effects. Federal workers are waiting for backpay, federal contract employees have lost income, and food stamp (SNAP) recipients are worried. As the state’s largest hunger relief organization and largest distributor of free food assistance, The Idaho Foodbank’s increase in food distribution will provide for an additional 266,000 meals starting this week and extending into early March.
For the fourth consecutive year, Idaho dairy farm families are partnering with the Girl Scouts of Silver Sage. For every box donated to the Cookies from the Heart program, dairy farmers across Idaho will donate $1, giving customers an opportunity to double the impact of their charitable contribution. A $5 purchase will provide a box of Girl Scout Cookies and help The Idaho Foodbank purchase milk to provide hunger relief across the state.
The USDA recently announced that SNAP benefits will be funded through February. States are being asked to issue February SNAP benefits early – on or by January 20, 2019.
Nine Idaho organizations expressed their support for the food assistance provisions laid out in the newly agreed upon farm bill that passed with overwhelming support from Congress this week.
On Monday night, House and Senate leaders released a farm bill agreement that protects and strengthens food assistance programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) for Idaho families.
The Famous Idaho Potato Bowl, in conjunction with Feeding Children Everywhere, Albertsons and The Idaho Foodbank, will work together to create more than 61,000 meals for Idaho’s local communities.
