The Kansas Department of Agriculture proposes a three-year project to purchase and distribute $4,523,080.28 worth of locally grown and processed foods to underserved communities and families across Kansas. Kansans in both rural and urban communities are greatly impacted by increasing inflation of food prices and limited access to fresh fruits and vegetables. According to data published in Feeding America’s Map the Meal Gap study, there are over 281,000 Kansans who are food insecure. This equates to 9.7% of the Kansas population. To implement the project, the Kansas Department of Agriculture will leverage relationships with Kansas farmers, ranchers, and agribusinesses to connect local food producers to food insecure Kansans through established food distribution networks in the state.
The Kansas Department of Agriculture will subaward funds to the state’s three major food banks who, together, serve all 105 counties in Kansas as well as a small pilot project. The subawardees will then use the funds to purchase and distribute locally grown and processed foods to those in need, using their existing food distribution networks.