As USDA food program ends, Central Mass. groups work to fill the void

With the recent conclusion of the USDA Farmers to Families Food Box Program, many people have been left without the fresh fruits and vegetables those deliveries contained. But the need for food in the city is far from over, according to local pantries and nonprofits.

Under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service partnered with distributors to purchase fresh produce, plus dairy and meat products. These family-sized boxes were then packaged by distributors and brought to food banks and community, nonprofit and faith-based organizations. More than 173 million boxes were delivered across the country from May 2020 to April of this year.