BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (WordNews.org) Jan. 22, 2021 — More than 12 million food boxes have been delivered to families living in the “last mile of need” thanks to the faith-based community Farmers to Families Program facilitated by CityServe.

The program was launched by the United States Department of Agriculture in May and involves 140 hubs, which is a collective network of churches and faith-based organizations. The network continues to expand across the country and is focused on serving the most food-insecure families in the latest round of the program, which runs from Jan. 19 to April 2021.

CityServe is a collaborate network of churches and community leaders connected to help those in need live better lives.

On Jan. 13, Ivanka Trump and Pastor Paula White-Cain, advisers to former President Donald Trump joined a  celebration, hosted by CityServe, thanking the Faith-Based Community for Farmers to Families for their efforts to feed Americans. [Watch the full replay here.]

“I’ve been privileged to be able to see this great work done first hand and we couldn’t be more grateful for the support of CityServe and the faith-based community in helping feed the ‘last mile’ which is the most challenging, most neglected, and most in need,” said Trump

“We may never know the real magnitude of a difference this program has made,” White-Cain added. “I believe in a big God and that he will help us to continue to help people because this is the model—when the best comes out in people. From farmer to distribution to recipient—all working together and cutting out the layers of nonsense. It’s about people being people who care.”

By engaging one of the most expansive networks of compassion in the nation, the proven distribution model delivers fresh, nutritious foods deep into the community, where the most vulnerable individuals and families are often unseen or forgotten.

USDA approved food supply contractors coordinate with CityServe to deliver food boxes to the hubs, which are churches or faith-based nonprofits with the capacity to be the distribution center of food boxes to local churches, also known as PODs (point of distribution), in its geographical region. A POD is a local church coordinating with CityServe to receive food boxes from its assigned HUB and meet the needs of its neighborhood with compassionate giving and relationship building.

Local churches have a unique ability to deliver food to the “Last Mile of Need” because they are in close relationship with their neighbors and most aware of the needs and specific circumstances in their community. They look out for the unseen, forgotten, and left behind.

On Jan. 4, the USDA announced the continuation of Farmers to Families for a fifth-round adding $1.5 billion for food purchases.

To learn more about how the Faith-Based Community for Farmers to Families is delivering food through the “Last Mile of Need,” please visit www.cityserve.us.