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Illinois EATS program renewed
A program connecting specialty growers with the most food insecure has received a boost.
Raghela Scavuzzo, executive director of the Illinois Specialty Growers Association, says the IllinoisEATS program has received an additional $14.7 million in federal funding.
“So that second run of funding is going to keep continuing growing wholesale markets for farmers.” She says, “This is really vital because we’re giving market level pricing to farmers while it is going into the most vulnerable populations for emergency feeding.”
She tells Brownfield it’s grown regional food systems across the state and made local resources available at a critical time.
“Since COVID, we’ve seen an exponential growth of food and food access needs.” She says, “When food prices continue to rise, we’re seeing more and more people struggle to have that food. What we want is quality food. So now they’re able to access fresh protein. We’re able to access fruits and vegetables.”
The funding would be impacted by President Trump’s federal funding freeze; however, state officials say they plan to move forward with the program as planned.
Brownfield spoke with Scavuzzo at the Everything Local Conference in Springfield.
AUDIO: Raghela Scavuzzo – ISGA
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