[custom_adv] Ivanka Trump, an advisor to the president, will accompany Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue to Coastal Sunbelt Produce wholesaler on Friday to celebrate the launch of the USDA's $3 billion "Farmers to Families Food Box" program. [custom_adv] The program is part of the $19 billion coronavirus farmer's assistance program, which was included in the administration's $2.2 trillion Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security, or CARES, Act, and it requires certain food distributors to allocate food from small farms to non-profits and faith-based groups. [custom_adv] "Small businesses are the backbone of America’s economy," Trump told FOX Business in a statement. [custom_adv] "Whether it be through the massively successful PPP program, including small agricultural businesses in EIDL, or by awarding up to to small, regional farmers, ranchers and distributors through the Farmers to Families Food Box program, this administration will continue to implement innovative and impactful policies to bolster American workers, families and small business owners." [custom_adv] Trump told USA Today that Farmers to Families "really creates a virtuous cycle," adding that there is a "robust demand" from food producers, consumers and "the most vulnerable in these challenging times." [custom_adv] Perdue said the program will also help address food supply chain gaps that came as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, such as beef and pork supply shortages that have occurred due to factory shutdowns. [custom_adv] Dairy farmers throughout the nation were forced to pour portions of their milk supply down the drain in April. [custom_adv] The USDA will partner with regional and local distributors whose business has been significantly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent state lockdowns that led to the closure of many food-service entities, according to the USDA's website. [custom_adv] The USDA did not immediately respond to FOX Business' request for comment. [custom_adv] The first daughter said she made a phone call to UPS chief executive David Abdney and asked him to volunteer trucks to help distribute food, and that she and others are "pulling all the levers" they can, according to USA Today.