Federal cuts impact local food banks

Mar. 28—Federal funding cuts are impacting area food banks such as the Food Bank of North Alabama, officials say.

The Trump administration announced in March that it was freezing over $1 billion in pandemic-era spending for schools and food banks, six months before the programs were scheduled to end. The U. S. Department of Agriculture said it was cutting, among other programs, the Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement (LFPA).

Joshua Matthews is the chief operating officer for the Food Bank of North Alabama in the Huntsville office.

"We're definitely aware of the cuts and are monitoring the situation with USDA," he said. "We're definitely seeing some effects from the cuts that have been announced so far. One was in the amount of food that was being sent to food banks in the CCC, Commodity Credit Corporation program. And then the other one is a loss of more like fresh produce items from a program called the LFPA."

Matthews said fortunately these were small programs for the Food Bank.

"Small, but still important programs," he said. "We're certainly hoping that USDA will be able to find a way to potentially continue those programs either through departmental or by another way."

He said he would not go as far as saying they would feed fewer families now.

"There may just be a little less food to go around," Matthews said. "We are trying to enact strategies on how to make up the food we are losing through those two federal programs by making sure we're working with our donors and being really consistent with our pick-ups from our grocery rescue program."

Matthews said they partner with about 100 grocery stores in the 11 counties they cover in north Alabama.

"Last year we were able to rescue about 6.5 million pounds of food that would have otherwise gotten thrown away into the landfill," he said. "We're working with our donors and evaluating ways where we can really make up some of that shortfall."

Matthews said they will be monitoring the situation very closely.

"No matter what happens, we're going to be here serving the people that need our help here in north Alabama," he said. "And we're going to be working collaboratively with our donors — both food donors and monetary donors — as well as our network of 230 agency partners that we have all across north Alabama to make sure that we are continuing to serve our community to the best of our ability."

Jeff Collins is an associate pastor at Cornerstone Church in unincorporated Lawrence County which runs The Moulton Dream Center Food Pantry in Moulton. He said they have been distributing food since October, and they feed between 300 and 450 individuals weekly, giving them enough food for several days.

"I was granted to do the USDA (through the Food Bank of North Alabama), but I've decided right now that I'm putting it on the back burner because it uses a lot more paperwork, and I'm not ready to dive into it," Collins said. "But I have been pre-approved."

Collins picked up food from the Food Bank in Huntsville on Wednesday. He said one of the warehouse workers told Collins that most of the time they receive 250 to 500 pounds of meat, but this week, due to federal cuts, they did not receive as much. Collins said he has noticed that they have not received as much meat lately from the Food Bank as they used to.

"I see what they're trying to do," he said. "They're trying to stretch it out so everybody gets some."

Ashley Boyd, Committee on Church Cooperation executive director, said they do not participate in the USDA program.

"We don't need to," she said. "But I imagine if we were we would be hurting quite a bit."

Boyd said their food donations are up, especially from grocery stores.

"I think the economy, as sad as it is, has actually increased the amount of food we've been receiving," she said. "We've been getting way more meat than we have been, but I think because it's so cost-prohibitive for a lot of families. Grocery stores either throw it out or give it to a food bank.

"Thankfully, it's getting in the hands of someone who needs it."

—erica.smith@decaturdaily.com or 256-340-2460.