The director of the Brazos Valley Food Bank (BVFB) is hoping that the president brings back a program that operated during Donald Trump’s first administration “to get this food to neighbors in need.”
Theresa Managpora was responding to comments made by agriculture secretary Brooke Rollins during this week’s visit to Texas A&M.
Rollins said the U.S. Department of Agriculture $370 million dollars a day on nutrition and food programs.
Rollins also said “The amount of money that is in the system is plenty to ensure that the food banks and what they do in this country get to do the job that they’re called to, which is ensure in all of us that there’s no child in America that will ever go hungry.”
In a statement Mangapora sent to WTAW News, she said “The Brazos Valley Food Bank (BVFB) hopes that when Trade Mitigation Programs are developed again, like they were during the first Trump administration, that food banks, like BVFB, are the trusted partners to get this food to neighbors in need.”
Mangapora said food from Trade Mitigation programs serve “hungry children, families, seniors and veterans – across the Brazos Valley, and across the country.”
Click below to hear Brooke Rollins comments from her appearance at Texas A&M on April 29, 2025:
Rollins said “Every day, the United States Department of Agriculture spends $370 million dollars on nutrition programs. Let’s sort of process that for a second. $370 million dollars just USDA. Not the state government. Not the local food banks. Not the local government. Not other agencies in the federal government. The United States Department of Agriculture spends $370 million dollars every day, seven days a week, on nutrition and food programs. So as we are pulling back some forward leaning programs that Joe Biden and that USDA put into place, many would argue to work towards a certain political outcome in November, it is paramount that we ensure that every taxpayer dollar that is spent is spent wisely. And so while we have pulled back some food bank programs we continue to work with those that we think are doing an amazing job. The amount of money that is in the system is plenty to ensure that the food banks and what they do in this country get to do the job that they’re called to, which is ensure in all of us that there’s no child in America that will ever go hungry. So as again we are realigning, I just want to remind everyone that what the federal government, what USDA does to support those who are food challenged, is enormous. Now we just have to make sure that that money is spent wisely in the system.”
Brazos Valley Food Bank director Theresa Mangapora sent WTAW News the following statement in response to Rollins’s comments:
“The Brazos Valley Food Bank (BVFB) hopes that when Trade Mitigation Programs are developed again, like they were during the first Trump administration, that food banks, like BVFB, are the trusted partners to get this food to neighbors in need. BVFB, like all food banks, has the food safety knowledge, the safe storage and transportation, as well as the network of primarily faith-based churches, organizations and pantries that work with us to distribute food, like Trade Mitigation product, to hungry children, families, seniors and veterans – across the Brazos Valley, and across the country. We did it before, and we are ready to do it again.”