05 02 2025 Food Banks Face Federal Cuts As Demand Rises News

Food bank managers across the country say their supplies have been strained by rising demand since the pandemic-era emergency Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits ended two years ago and steepening food prices (Source: “Federal... Now, they say, demand is compounded by recent cuts in federal funding to food distribution programs that supply staple food items to pantries nationwide. In March, the U.S. Department of Agriculture cut $500 million from the Emergency Food Assistance Program, which buys food from domestic producers and sends it to pantries nationwide. The program has supplied more than 20% of the distributions by Feeding America, a nonprofit that serves a network of over 200 food banks and 60,000 meal programs. The collision between rising demand and falling support is especially problematic for rural communities, where the federal program might cover 50% or more of food supplied to those in need, said Vince Hall, chief...

Deepening the challenge for local food aid organizations is an additional $500 million the Trump administration slashed from the USDA Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement Program, which helped state, tribal, and territorial governments... Food bank shortages caused by high demand and cuts to federal aid programs have some residents of a small community that straddles Idaho and Nevada growing their own food to get by. This story also ran on ABC News. It can be republished for free. For those living in Duck Valley, a reservation of about 1,000 people that is home to the Shoshone-Paiute Tribes, there’s just one grocery store where prices are too high for many to afford, said... The next-closest grocery stores are more than 100 miles away in Mountain Home, Idaho, and Elko, Nevada.

And the local food bank’s troubles are mirrored by many nationwide, squeezed between growing need and shrinking aid. Reggie Premo, a community outreach specialist at the University of Nevada-Reno Extension, grew up cattle ranching and farming alfalfa in Duck Valley. He runs workshops to teach residents to grow produce. Premo said he has seen increased interest from tribal leaders in the state worried about high costs while living in food deserts. “We’re just trying to bring back how it used to be in the old days,” Premo said, “when families used to grow gardens.” Want to see more of NewsNation?

Get 24/7 fact-based news coverage with the NewsNation app or add NewsNation as a preferred source on Google! (NewsNation) — Food banks nationwide are facing increased inflation, high demand and distribution shortages in the wake of at least $1 billion in federal funding cuts by the Trump administration. The Department of Agriculture slashed $500 million from its Emergency Food Assistance Program, which supplies more than a fifth of what the Feeding America network distributes. Another $1 billion was cut for hunger relief programs supporting local producers, such as the Local Food for Schools program, resulting in the decreased availability of fresh food. Food banks are feeding record numbers so far this year, with many reporting a surge in need of nearly 25% to 40%, according to Feeding America. That demand has collided with shrinking supply and increased food prices.

This year, Food Bank of the Rockies and others across the U.S. are bringing in less but need to feed more. Monica Buhlig, chief impact officer with Food Bank of the Rockies, said they lost about 25% of their food supplied by the federal government earlier this year when the Trump administration made changes to... That comes as demand has grown this year. “With the increased cost of housing, with the increased cost of food, we have seen more and more neighbors over the past year,” said Buhlig. “Prior to the government shutdown, we were seeing the highest levels of hunger that we have seen in 10 years.”

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT | USDA cuts programs that gave schools funds to support local farmers for student meals Food banks are struggling to meet rising demand from needy Americans as the federal government slashes funding for programs to feed the hungry. Advocates worry that cuts to food stamp programs will worsen the hunger crisis. (AP Video/Terry Chea) CORRECTS TITLE TO CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER FROM EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR - The Campaign Against Hunger Chief Executive Officer Melony Samuels sits in her office in the Brooklyn borough of New York, Tuesday, April 15, 2025. (AP Photo/James Pollard)

Kim Dennis, 65, visits The Campaign Against Hunger’s distribution center in the Brooklyn borough of New York, Tuesday, April 15, 2025. (AP Photo/James Pollard) People line up for groceries outside The Campaign Against Hunger’s distribution center in the Brooklyn borough of New York, Tuesday, April 15, 2025. (AP Photo/James Pollard) Volunteers pack produce at the Alameda County Community Food Bank in Alameda, Calif., on Friday, April 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Terry Chea)

The abrupt cancellation of government funding for programs to help food banks distribute healthy, local food is being felt across the country, as some already strapped organizations turn to their local communities for help. In early March, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said it was cutting more than $1 billion in funding for the Local Food for Schools Cooperative Agreement and the Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement programs for 2025. The money was designed to pay farmers to provide food to schools and food banks, giving a boost to local producers while giving fresh options to children and communities. Then, food banks were hit with another blow when they were informed that scheduled deliveries of food through the USDA's Emergency Food Assistance Program were being halted or cut back. The cuts come as President Donald Trump and Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency target a long list of government programs and federal jobs for sweeping cuts in recent months.

The USDA told USA TODAY that the LFPA cuts were a "return to long-term, fiscally responsible initiatives." Food producers and food banks that participated in the axed programs say they will have less food to give to their communities. And rural communities will be hit the hardest because they depend the most on USDA-funded programs for the food distributed by food banks, said Vince Hall, chief government relations officer of the nonprofit Feeding... The Food Bank will be CLOSED Jan. 22–Feb. 1 as we transition to our new building.

We will reopen with normal business hours on Monday, February 2, at our NEW location: 4645 S. 84th St. in Omaha. Should you have any questions, please call 402.331.1213 or connect with us online. Please note: this site uses automated translation technology. We cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, and some elements cannot be translated.

Thank you! Food banks across the country are experiencing higher levels of food insecurity and fewer resources to meet that need. Hear from several food banks, including Food Bank for the Heartland, on how federal funding cuts will impact their mission. Office and Warehouse10525 J StreetOmaha, NE 68127 © 2026 Food Bank for the Heartland is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and a Partner Food Bank of Feeding America. Photos associated with client stories feature the actual person referenced.

Other images are for illustrative purposes only. Food banks typically see the most need during periods of high unemployment, yet the U.S. is facing a hunger crisis during a hard labor market. The Campaign Against Hunger was already struggling to feed thousands of families a week when the Trump administration pulled more than $1.3 million in grants. Demand has only increased at the New York nonprofit since the city emerged from the COVID-19 pandemic and the related economic insecurity. In a first for the pantry, however, it isn’t just the jobless lining up for its fresh produce and meats.

It’s working people, too. Food banks typically see the most need during periods of high unemployment and yet the U.S. is facing down a hunger crisis during a relatively resilient labor market. The latest U.S. Department of Agriculture research showed there were one million more food insecure households in 2023 than 2022. Now, income stagnation and rising living costs are sending wage earners to food banks across the country — all as the federal government shuts off funding streams that provide millions with healthier, harder-to-get groceries.

The squeeze comes as Republicans discuss budget plans that hunger relief groups fear will deepen the crisis by slashing food stamp spending.

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