Below is a press release from Congressman Bennie G. Thompson:

United States Representative Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS) announced the U.S.

Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) has signed a cooperative agreement with Mississippi under the Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement Program (LFPA). The LFPA allows the Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce to purchase and distribute locally grown, produced, and processed food from underserved producers.

The Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce (MDAC) will partner with the three Feeding America affiliated food banks that together will service all 82 counties in the state of Mississippi. USDA will award up to $400 million through non-competitive cooperative agreements with state and tribal governments to support local, regional, and underserved producers through the purchase of food produced within the state or within 400 miles of delivery destination.