“A bipartisan group of lawmakers is working to increase federal aid for emergency food distribution in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The FEMA Empowering Essential Deliveries (FEED) Act will allow local and state governments to partner with restaurants on initiatives that feed people in need. It also calls on the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to cover 100 percent of the cost.
Though FEMA assistance typically covers up to 75 percent of emergency and disaster expenses, the FEED Act will waive regulations on this limit.
‘If this pandemic has shown us anything, it’s the need to innovate,’ said Representative Rodney Davis, a co-author on the FEED Act, in a statement. ‘This bill helps utilize our restaurant industry … in a way that’s never been done before.’
Tens of thousands of restaurants closed at the start of the pandemic are still recovering. Some will never reopen. The new bill promises to revitalize the industry with funding to rehire staff and expand food distribution infrastructure for vulnerable populations.”
View the whole story here: https://www.ecowatch.com/feed-act-food-insecurity-coronavirus-2646818264.html