KDA Legislation Seeks to Help Businesses, Individuals Feed Hungry in KY

FRANKFORT (WTVQ) —The Department of Agriculture is proposing 2 pieces of legislation that will help incentivize businesses and individuals who wish to donate to food organizations in the state.

“These measures would provide incentives and protections for those who want to join the fight against hunger in Kentucky,” Agriculture Commissioner Ryan Quarles said.

One proposal would double the tax credit for food products donated to food banks to 20 percent. Quarles says few Kentucky farmers know about the tax credit, and doubling the tax credit would provide a stronger financial incentive for farmers to donate surplus foods.

A second proposal would strengthen the shield against legal liability for food donations beyond that of the federal Good Samaritan Food Donation Act, making Kentucky’s food donor immunity shield one of the strongest in the nation.

Map the Meal Gap 2016, an annual study by Feeding America, revealed that one in six Kentuckians – including one in five children – was food insecure in 2014, meaning that consistent access to adequate food is limited by a lack of money and other resources at times during the year. Kentucky organizations that serve the hungry fed an estimated 58 million meals to approximately 611,000 Kentuckians in 2016.

For more information about the Hunger Initiative and the Hunger Task Force, go to kyagr.com/hunger.