DALLAS – DiMare Fresh has been approved for a second round of funding by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) for the Farmers to Families Food Box program.  

The initial round of Farmers to Families Food Box Program contracts will be completed on June 30, and the USDA has announced it will be extending contracts to select contractors, including DiMare Fresh, through the next performance period, which ends on Aug. 1. 

“As a family-owned business that’s over 90 years old, and as farmers ourselves, we are appreciative to be involved with the USDA and this very worthy, and much needed, Farmers to Families Food Box Program,” said Tony DiMare, an owner at DiMare Fresh. “We would like to thank our suppliers in the farming and shipping communities, as well as our people who have stayed committed and have been working non-stop since day one delivering the boxes. We also extend our gratitude to the non-profit organizations and their mostly volunteer staff for distributing the boxes within the communities.” 

Since May 15, DiMare Fresh has packed and delivered 1.4 million boxes, at over 27 million pounds. By June 30, DiMare Fresh will have supplied food boxes to over 225 individual non-profit organizations and food banks.  

While delivering primarily in the state of Texas, the company has also made deliveries in four additional states in the Southwest region. The goal with the next round of funding will be to continue supplying the existing non-profit organizations, add new groups and enter additional states in the Southwest region. 

“Due to the COVID-19 crisis, the need for food assistance has increased drastically and the Houston Food Bank has ramped up its distribution significantly,” said Brian Greene, president and chief executive officer of the Houston Food Bank. “As we work to provide a steady flow of nutritious, healthy food to our communities, this support from DiMare Fresh is absolutely crucial. We are grateful to be able to count DiMare Fresh as a partner in addressing hunger and food insecurity in Texas and nationwide.”