Care and Share Food Bank is now supporting local farmers at its pantries and stores

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO)--The biggest food bank in southern Colorado is supporting local farmers one vegetable at a time. On Tuesday, Care and Share Food Bank announced that they will now be getting veggies and fruit from local farmers to help fill their local food markets. The food bank is able to do this through the local "Food Purchase Assistance Program," a federal program that allows fruits and veggies from farmers to go directly to the Care and Share food pantries and stores instead of the distribution center. That includes the Sunny Side Market in southeast Colorado Springs.

"I think the big difference is the idea of taking small farmers, elevating small farmers to be able to produce more food, and then connecting those small farmers directly with our partner agencies to kind of make this, not the place that the food has to always come. Now the food can go straight from the farm to the food pantry. And that's amazing. It's amazing for our partner agencies. It's amazing for the people we serve," said Nate Springs, CEO and President of Care and Share Food Bank.

The goal for Care and Share is to be able to continue this partnership with local farmers for years to come. But Springer said the only way they will be available to do this is if this "Food Purchase Assistance Program" is extended by Congress.

For those farmers who would like to be a part of this partnership, you can visit the official USDA site to find that information there.