{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://escobar.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=816", "Congresswoman Escobar and Desert Spoon Food Hub Announce Reception of $445K from USDA to Increase El Pasoans\u2019  Access to Fresh Local Food and Support Farmers", "2021-12-02", "2021", "2021-12", "Democrat", "House", "TX", "Veronica Escobar", "E000299", "escobar.house.gov", "escobar", "https://escobar.house.gov/news/documentquery.aspx?DocumentTypeID=27", "scraper", "Congresswoman Veronica Escobar (TX-16) and Adriana Clowe, Director of Operations for Desert Spoon Food Hub, announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has awarded a total of $445,018 in funding to the non-profit to increase El Pasoans\u2019 access to local agricultural products and strengthen our regional food system.\n\nThe funding, made possible by the FY21 appropriations omnibus, will be distributed by the USDA\u2019s Agricultural Marketing Service through the Local Food Promotion Program (LFPP).\n\n\u201cThe COVID-19 pandemic exposed the importance of transforming our nation\u2019s food system and the need to create more opportunities for El Paso families to access more locally-sourced, nutritious, and affordable ingredients,\u201d said Congresswoman Escobar. \u201cSupporting organizations that advance these efforts while expanding economic opportunities in our community is a priority for me and I am thrilled to have advocated and voted for this critical funding that will enable Desert Spoon to support our farmers and ensure El Pasoans have access to locally grown food.\u201d\n\n\u201cWe are excited and extremely grateful for the opportunity to represent our region and our local farmers. This grant will further our mission to build a more local and inclusive food system that provides greater representation and economic advancement for our local farmers,\u201d said Adriana Clowe. \u201cAt a time when we have witnessed the many inequalities of our food system, this investment further shows the importance of centering communities and agriculture in how we address the many challenges we have around food and how we choose to feed ourselves.\u201d\n\nDuring the FY21, LFPP awarded a total of $75.4 million to 172 projects across the country \u2013 including Desert Spoon Food Hub. The LFPP funds projects that develop, coordinate, and expand local and regional food business enterprises that help increase access to and availability of locally and regionally produced agricultural products.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:37:48Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://escobar.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=816"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.500413054600358, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}