ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) — The U.S. Department of Agriculture has provided additional funding for two food assistance programs. The local Food Purchase Assistance program will receive $26 million, and an additional $12 million is going to the Food for Schools program.

The funding is meant to help food banks and schools access affordable, locally grown, healthy food. It’s also meant to help local small farmers.

“It’s also about building the capacity of small, socially disadvantaged farmers and farmers across New York State to be able to access new markets,” USDA Undersecretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs Jenny Lester Moffitt said. “To access these markets so that, long-term, farmers will have access to more new and better markets across the board.”

Funding for both programs is coming from the American Rescue Plan.