‘No control over them.’ Trump letters to remain in food boxes for Kentucky families
Kentucky food banks will leave a controversial letter from President Trump in new food boxes distributed to the hungry because they don’t want to hold up deliveries to families in need.
The White House mandated that boxes provided by a $4 billion government program include signed letters from Trump in which he takes credit for the food being delivered to families during the coronavirus pandemic, according to Politico. The letters have been heavily criticized as promotional tools for a president running for re-election, and some organizations are removing the letters.
“As part of our coronavirus response, I prioritized sending nutritious food from our farmers to families in need throughout America,” Trump wrote in the letter, which is available in both English and Spanish, according to Politico.
The Farmers to Families Food Box Program is delivering the boxes with letters. The program is led by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and has delivered more than 100 million food boxes through three rounds of distribution, according to the USDA.
The program is part of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, a bill overwhelmingly approved by both the Senate and House, including Democrats, with the only opposition votes coming from Republicans.
The Trump letter is inside food boxes being delivered around Kentucky, according to Kurt Riber, the board chair for Feeding Kentucky. Some boxes are going through Feeding Kentucky’s member food banks, but most are going through other nonprofits so that they can be delivered directly to families, he said.
“We understand that some people are concerned with the fact that the letters are in there,” Riber said. “We have no control over them.”
The federal government has mandated that the vendors distributing the food boxes insert the letters, Riber said, so the letters already are in the boxes when they arrive at a food bank or other nonprofit.
Some nonprofit leaders nationwide have voiced concerns over a partisan letter included in materials distributed by nonprofit organizations, according to multiple media reports.
“It essentially blackmails nonpartisan food charities into aiding Trump’s re-election campaign by threatening more Americans to go hungry if these food boxes are not distributed,” said Joel Berg, chief executive of Hunger Free America, according to the Washington Post. “This move by the Trump Administration is illegal and immoral.”
But Riber said he’d been reassured that leaving the letters in the boxes won’t threaten Feeding Kentucky’s nonprofit, tax-exempt status.
Feeding Kentucky could assign workers to remove the letters, but the organization would prefer to remain focused on getting the boxes distributed, Riber said.
“Trying to get that food to those families is what’s most important,” he said. “... We don’t really have the staff to remove the letters, and the number of boxes that we receive directly are smaller”
Michael Halligan, CEO of God’s Pantry Food Bank in Lexington, said he too is focused on getting the food distributed to the families who need it.
“We are grateful to be receiving food in round 3; the distributions we received in round 1 and 2 were minimal,” Halligan said in a statement. “What’s most important is the food that is being made available to those who are experiencing hunger, and getting that food into homes and on plates as quickly and efficiently as possible.”
Food banks across Kentucky have seen substantial increases in food demand during the COVID-19 pandemic, Riber said. Despite the concerns over the letter, the food boxes are getting food out to all 120 counties in Kentucky, he said.
“We know the families that we’re serving need this food because of the increased demand that we’re seeing,” he said.
This story was originally published October 8, 2020 at 10:22 AM.