Federal Funding Cuts Affect Local Food Banks

It will not take much for people to be hungry. There is no way this will not have an impact on all of (the) community.”

One billion dollars in funding was cut without warning by the Trump Administration in March from state and local programs across the country that help prevent hunger for children, seniors, and low-income families.

Zaida Woodworth, executive director of Food Backpacks 4 Kids (FB4K), said, “The use of the food pantry is already at an all-time high. Our core programs provided food to over 5,000 people in March.”

There are three main ways that food banks generally obtain food for their clients. One is by direct donations from community members, food drives, and donations from local farms or businesses. Food pantries also purchase food through the USDA programs or purchase food with their own resources, which are usually limited.

The USDA oversees food and nutrition programs for the 50 states, territories, and Indian reservations through the Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC), the Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP), The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP), and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly food stamps).

The CCC was created in 1933 during the Great Depression. It funds domestic farm income, price support, and conservation programs.

Agencies distributing food from the CCC were notified abruptly in March that the program had ended. The program provided frozen chicken, milk, eggs, and other sources of protein. Delivery of 19 truckloads of food to Washington, expected over the next three months, was immediately canceled following the announcement of cuts.

“The federal cuts to commodities and local food purchasing are reducing some of our most valuable foods, like frozen chicken and local produce from our farms on the Key Peninsula. We don’t like it, but we can change the way we use our funding to ensure our families will still have access to nutritious food,” Woodworth said.

Another popular government program was also discontinued: the Local Food Purchase Assistance program (LFPA). Created in 2022, the program was established to maintain and improve agricultural supply chains by supporting local and regional producers through food purchasing. The program focused on small farms, many of them owned by young farmers working to get established. The food is distributed through hunger relief agencies to underserved communities. Washington State’s LFPA program involved 237 farms in 31 counties.

Both the FB4K and Key Peninsula Community Services food pantries contracted with local farms in 2024 through LFPA to provide local produce to their customers. Wildwood Hollow Farm, Honey Wood Farm, and Lakebay Farm expected to partner this year.

Honey Wood Farm owner Madeleine Spencer had planned to sell some of her produce to food pantries as well as her Community Supported Agriculture customers.

“Farmers plan crops and purchases of seed and equipment in the fall for the next growing season,” she said. “The timing of these cuts is really disappointing. It’s hard to shift your entire business mid-season.”

Spencer said some of the small farms she knows in the region may go under as a result. For farmers planning on a steady customer base, it is difficult to find new market outlets without advance notice.

Brett Higgins, food pantry manager for Key Peninsula Community Services, said KPCS does not depend entirely on federal programs like TEFAP for inventory and receives fresh and frozen food from a grocery rescue program. The KPCS food truck makes the rounds of all local grocery stores three times a week to pick up unwanted food. He does not anticipate difficulty in the short term.

Michelle Douglas, CEO of Emergency Food Network in Pierce County, said, “We budgeted a year ago based on what we were told, based on projections we got. We are dependent on contracts, with collaborations between all types of agencies. Many families will be deeply impacted. This is not about being able to thrive, but the ability to survive.”

She described EFN as “the backbone of food distribution in Pierce County.” Last year, it distributed 14 million pounds of food to 75 partners in the county.

“These cuts are devastating for many, with fast-rising rents,” Douglas said. “In the near future, families will face threats from the cost of food rising for all. Job losses are a threat for many. It will not take much for people to be hungry. There is no way this will not have an impact on all of (the) community.”

Washingtonians made over three million visits to food banks last year. “This is a 17% increase from 2023,” according to Douglas.

“It’s the uncertainty that is difficult,” Woodworth said. “There are severe state and federal funding cuts forecasted for food assistance and SNAP. We can survive the cuts that have happened, but food assistance organizations, American farmers, and the people we serve will be devastated by further cuts.”

Currently facing a large budget shortfall, Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson has proposed a funding reduction for the Washington State Department of Agriculture, which would likely affect the SNAP program. Currently, SNAP recipients receive $6 a day. The proposal could reduce that amount by $1.40.

FBK employs sis part-time employees and one full-time. Woodworth said current funding cuts would not impact employment. “But, in the future, all need to be aware that food and services are the priority. Salaries are uncertain, and staffing is the first thing to get cut.”

Sara Thompson contributed to this report.