Food banks and farmers hit by funding cuts

During the pandemic, families across the U.S. turned to food banks to help them weather the economic fallout that included a sharp increase in food prices. Because many of those inflationary pressures continue to the present, families still rely on food banks to a greater degree than before the pandemic. Now they are facing additional issues with food insecurity due to federal funding cuts to several US Department of Agriculture programs designed to help people receive fresh, nutritious foods.

Vince Hall, chief government relations officer of the nonprofit Feeding America, told USA Today that “The reality is that the food banking system is stressed to the breaking point right now because we’re seeing record-high demand and diminished resources.” Last month, the USDA announced more than $1 billion in cuts for the Local Food for Schools Cooperative Agreement and the Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement programs. More recently, scheduled food deliveries through the USDA’s Emergency Food Assistance Program were cancelled, putting pressure on local food banks which rely on a combination of community and food producer donations along with government funds and commodities.

The upshot of these cuts is that more people will go hungry, especially in sparsely populated rural areas where it is more difficult to raise enough money from community members to make up the lost funding. School lunch programs will have fewer local, fresh foods to provide to students. Families, already stretched thin with high food and housing costs, will have to make difficult choices about what they eat.

While the so-called Department of Government Efficiency says the cuts are necessary for fiscal responsibility, it ignores the economies of scale and comprehensive understanding of the supply and demand points that a centralized effort can deliver. It also underestimates the economic importance that these large-scale programs offer to farm communities. Let’s hope that Congress recognizes the problem and devises a farm bill that addresses the shortfalls. In the meantime, if you have the means to contribute to either a local food bank or one in a rural community that is hard-hit by these cuts, now is a great time to give these organizations a funding boost. Your state or county should have information on food banks near you, or you can find a national nonprofit that coordinates with local food banks that have the most need.