What is USDAs involvement with the Faith-Based and Community Initiative?
In December 2002, President Bush announced the addition of USDA to his Faith-Based and Community Initiative. In January 2003, the Secretary of Agriculture appointed a Special Assistant to the Secretary and Director of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives (FBCI) at USDA. Since that time, the Director and her staff have been working closely with appropriate USDA agencies, particularly the Food and Nutrition Service, the Foreign Agricultural Service, and Rural Development, to enhance the participation of faith-based and community organizations in key programs that deliver food, housing, and other services to low-income families and individuals in the United States and abroad.
