Speaker Shekarchi tours RI Community Food Bank

Speaker of the House K. Joseph Shekarchi (D-Dist. 23, Warwick) took part in a tour of the Rhode Island Community Food Bank today to see first-hand the impact that is being made with a $3 million allocation of ARPA funds in the current state budget. 
 
Andrew Schiff, the chief executive officer of the Food Bank, led the tour of the facility on Niantic Avenue which distributes healthy, nutritious food to 79,000 Rhode Islanders each month through its statewide network of 143 member agencies.
 
In addition to the annual appropriation of $550,000, the state budget this year included an additional $3 million in federal ARPA funding for the Food Bank.
 
“This is a worthy investment of taxpayer funding for the Food Bank, which fulfills its mission so effectively and spends every dime wisely in addressing the serious hunger and poverty needs of Rhode Islanders,” said Shekarchi (D-District 23, Warwick). 
 
He was joined by Sen. Sandra Cano (D-District 8, Pawtucket), chairwoman of the Senate Education Committee and a member of the Senate Finance Committee, and Rep. Scott Slater (D-Dist. 10, Providence), the firs vice chairman of the House Finance Committee.
 
“We were very proud to show the legislators how we use this significant investment to provide nutritious, culturally appropriate food to people in need across the state,” said Schiff.