A new food pantry opened in Houston this week — coincidentally called Feeding Our Future.
Texas opens pantry called Feeding Our Future — with no ties to the embattled Minnesota group
The Houston Housing Authority announced the new food pantry this week, coincidentally using the same name as the Minnesota nonprofit that's at the center of a $250 million fraud investigation.
June 29, 2023 at 11:54PM
It's the same name as the Minnesota nonprofit at the center of a massive $250 million fraud scheme that federal prosecutors have said was one of the largest pandemic-related fraud cases in the country.
But there's no connection between the Texas food pantry and Minnesota's Feeding Our Future or any of the 60 people who have been charged in the case since September.
The shared name is a total coincidence, said Angelica Luna Kaufman, a spokesperson for the Houston Housing Authority, which started the food pantry.
To honor their new food pantry, the city of Houston proclaimed Wednesday "Feeding Our Future Food Pantry Day," according to the local FOX 26 station.
Minnesota's Feeding Our Future has been in the news frequently since early 2022, when FBI agents raided the nonprofit's St. Anthony offices. The organization participated in federal child nutrition programs, receiving government reimbursements for providing food to low-income children after school and during the summer.
Prosecutors have alleged that a large ring of associates inflated the number of meals they claimed to serve to children during the pandemic — or served no meals at all. Instead, prosecutors say defendants used millions of dollars in federal money to buy luxury cars, homes, trips or other expenses. The federal government has seized more than $50 million in property tied to the case.
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