USDA's Farmers to Families Food Box program was scheduled to run through December 31, but the effort has already run out of funds or will soon be depleted in several areas of the country, according to a report in the Washington Post.
The $4.5 billion program was run in four installments—$1.2 billion in the first round, $1.76 billion in the second round, $1 billion in the third round and the final round totaled $500 million. The final round for November and December did result in some non-profits being unable to participate or they received fewer food box deliveries.
The effort was launched in May and provided foods to families including fresh vegetables, meat, cheese/dairy products, and other items. It is not clear that the effort will be resurrected via either additional congressional funding or by the incoming Biden administration.
The Trump administration had previously proposed a food box effort in its budget submissions to Congress relative to food and nutrition program efforts, a concept that many Democrats derided at the time.
But the track record for the program could bring a rethink of the effort as it more directly links consumers and farmers, utilizing non-profits to distribute the boxes. The effort has received mixed reviews in the food industry.