Efforts Underway to Get Food From US Farms to the Needy

Des Moines Area Religious Council Food Pantry worker Patrick Minor pulls a package of ground pork out of a cooler during a pantry stop on May 20, 2020, in Des Moines, Iowa. Charlie Neibergall/AP

OMAHA, Neb.—As food banks have struggled to meet soaring demand from people suddenly out of work because of the pandemic lockdowns, it has been especially troubling to see farmers have to bury produce, dump milk, and euthanize hogs.

Now some states are providing more money to help pay for food that might otherwise go to waste. The U.S. Agriculture Department is spending $3 billion to help get farm products to food banks, and a senator is seeking $8 billion more to buy farm produce for food banks.