USDA is authorizing an additional $500 million to support Round 4 of the Farmers to Families Food Box Program, the National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) said. Arlington, Va.-based NMPF applauded the agency for the move — for combination food boxes to be delivered through the end of the year. The Farmers to Families Food Box program has delivered approximately $1 billion worth of dairy products to needy Americans since spring.

“The Farmers to Families Food Box program has proven to be an effective benefit both for families needing assistance and for dairy farmers and processors providing high-quality products to those families via food boxes,” said Jim Mulhern, president and CEO of NMPF. “We hope the department will build upon its successes and lessons learned from this program as it considers further initiatives during the ongoing COVID-19 crisis and beyond.”