At Gainesville’s largest food bank, boxes upon boxes of fresh zucchini and squash are hauled off by the shopping cart-full to ministries, pantries and nonprofit organizations across the region. Colorful, farm-fresh produce is the standard.
Just days earlier, this produce was simply a product surplus from a Florida farm. Now, thanks to the recent permanence of the Farmers Feeding Florida program, it is a source of valuable nutrition for those experiencing food insecurity in the four counties served by Bread of the Mighty Food Bank.
“The Farmers Feeding Florida program is going to allow us to get more fresh produce, proteins and dairy directly to people who are struggling with hunger every day in North Central Florida,” Bread of the Mighty Food Bank Executive Director Patrick Dodds said.
The Farmers Feeding Florida program was made permanent through Senate Bill 290, also known as the Florida Farm Bill. The program connects Florida farmers with the state’s food bank network, including Bread of the Mighty Food Bank.
“The permanence creates a very strong commitment to not only continuing an effort, but growing an effort,” Farmers Feeding Florida CEO Robin Safley said.
The program was initiated in 2010 but expanded significantly in July 2025 to become a statewide initiative. With the cost of goods going up, the program's permanence comes at a distinct time of need for the area, Dodds said.
“We’re seeing fewer donated products come into our food bank, and at the same time, we’re seeing more need in the community as a result of high grocery costs,” Dodds said. “So more people needing food and fewer coming in from traditional sources means we need to find a way to procure new sources.”
Rev. Earnestine Butler works with the Greater Duval Neighborhood Association in East Gainesville. The association which regularly receives food donations from Bread of the Mighty Food Bank, has noticed a change in accessibility.
“There was a time when I could come in, and there would be so much food everywhere, but now it's rather scarce because the stores aren’t donating as much anymore,” Butler said. “So getting the farmers’ extra food is great.”
Food banks aren’t the only parties benefiting from this legislation. When products come in from other states, local farmers may find their crops in a crowded market at the end of the season, Safley said. To combat this, the program can pull excess crops into the food bank network and offset the cost of surplus for farmers.
“The program marries Florida’s agricultural abundance with Floridians who are in need,” Safley said. “It’s a win-win-win — a win for growers, a win for food waste, and a win for clients we serve.”
Don Quincey, owner of Quincey Cattle Beef, has provided dairy and beef products to food banks for over two years. In addition to feeding those in need, Farmers Feeding Florida helps keep businesses growing, Quincey said.
“Sometimes we have way more of a product than we can use in our retail business, and Farmers Feeding Florida helped us move it,” Quincey said. “This helped us grow our business in other areas. It’s a godsend in so many ways.”
Quincey’s company has helped Farmers Feeding Florida develop individually packaged ground beef packs for easy distribution to food banks. According to Dodds, ground beef is a versatile and high-quality product supported by the program that many experiencing food insecurity don’t have access to.
“You can do so many things with ground beef, and we’re injecting funds into our own community by purchasing it from a local business,” Dodds said.
Dairy and protein products require refrigeration and spoil easily, making them expensive items to keep at a food bank, Alachua County Farm Bureau President and dairy farmer Kevin Lussier said. The money awarded through Farmers Feeding Florida has changed the nature of product access.
“What really warms my heart is to see such a highly nutritious product, such as milk, put into the hands of consumers who need it most,” Lussier said. “It gives me a lot of pride to see our milk flowing into food banks.”
Morriston Baptist Church volunteer Vince Neal drives an hour from Dunnellon once a week to pick up food from Bread of the Mighty Food Bank for his church food pantry. The Farmers Feeding Florida program provides reliable fresh food for the 70-90 families that the pantry serves, Neal said.
“A lot of the area we live in is rural, so you feel close to the local farmers you’re supporting,” Neal said. “Now they have a mechanism that makes it easy for farmers with giving hearts to both be in business and donate their excess food.”
Though the program is signed into law, how the state allocates its budget may still impact the degree of influence that the program has, Safley said. The budget will be decided by June 30.
“In order for the program to fully express itself, it needs to be funded properly,” Safley said.
And the program isn’t a cure-all for socioeconomic disparity. Food insecurity is only a symptom of larger community issues, Dodds said.
“When you’re hungry, you need to find food, but it’s not just replacing a lack of food with food that will solve underlying problems,” Dodds said. “I would love to see us take a deeper look at a holistic level at what our community members are struggling with.”
But in the meantime, the program’s permanence is a strong step forward for food banks and farmers alike, who are both dedicated to fighting food insecurity in their own fields, Lussier said.
“As a farmer, I’m running a business. Lussier said. “But as a father of a one-year-old son, what really warms my heart is the ability to feed people.”