WFSU | By Margie Menzel
Published December 2, 2024 at 9:07 PM EST

With the 2025 legislative session fast approaching, Feeding Florida hopes lawmakers will help the organization expand a key partnership to provide more healthy food.

Feeding Florida’s CEO, Robin Safley, says the association of nine member food banks hopes for more legislative support for its current partnership with growers.

Safley wants to expand a pilot program that uses state dollars to pay farmers to send excess dairy, eggs and beef to food banks -- in addition to fruit and vegetables.

“It helps them at least get some return of their fixed cost on product that they get from the field for us. And it insures that we’re getting it at the freshest cut. And we just think it’s the right thing to do, because our growers have toiled over it, they used Florida resources to grow it, and so we think the best use of taxpayer dollars is to offset their cost.”  

She calls the plan a win-win, because those proteins have historically been the most expensive commodities for food banks to provide.

“Floridians in need. Growers have extra product because Mother Nature is very giving. And I think it’s just the perfect way to use state resources to help that grower and get that product to the -- so, I’m hopeful they will increase that funding source.”  

The food banks have some powerful champions this year: Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson and Senate President Ben Albritton, both farmers. It was Albritton who sponsored the $6.5 million appropriation to create the pilot program in the 2024 session.

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