A program to put food grown by Pennsylvania farmers into the charitable food system that was established six years ago — but never funded — will finally get off the ground thanks to first-ever funding through the 2015-16 state budget. Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding announced April 12 the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank as the winning bidder to implement the program, known as the Pennsylvania Agricultural Surplus System. The commonwealth’s final budget makes $1 million available to implement the program statewide.
With the funding appropriated through the state’s 2015-16 budget, the food bank and the state’s charitable feeding organizations will secure a variety of surplus agricultural products produced in Pennsylvania. Producers, packers and processors participating in PASS may be reimbursed for costs involved in harvesting, processing and/or packaging, and transporting donated product.