The Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia and the Eastern Shore says they are preparing for significant challenges due to federal funding cuts.
NORFOLK, Va. — The Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia and the Eastern Shore says they are preparing for significant challenges due to federal funding cuts.
In late January, President Donald Trump issued a memo pausing federal grants and loans, but it was rescinded just two days later, only for White House officials to confirm it was not rescinded. Chaos and confusion over who would be affected by these cuts have ensued — including among those who operate food banks.
Reuters reported on Tuesday that the U.S. Department of Agriculture, or USDA, cut two federal programs that helped schools and food banks buy from local farms and ranches. The Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement Program, which would have funded about $500 million to support food banks this year, was one of the programs cut, according to Politico.
The Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia and the Eastern Shore said on Tuesday that they previously were unsure about the impact of cuts to federal funding, but they now know: “key funding sources have been cut, directly affecting our ability to provide food and expand critical services.”
Officials with the food bank say the Local Food Purchase Assistance program allowed them to “purchase fresh, locally sourced food from farmers in our region.” Now that the funding has been paused, there is no federal support for the purchases, affecting farmers and food banks.
The food bank also anticipates a loss of $1.5 million in congressional funding, which was planned to be used for a new facility, an investment they call essential for the community’s long-term food security.
The food bank emphasizes that the impacts go beyond them and the proposed cuts to programs like Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, would “harm families struggling with rising food costs, hurt rural communities, and place a greater strain on food banks and charitable organizations.”
The organization is urging the community, businesses and leaders to support hunger relief efforts by donating to the food bank and “advocating for strong federal investments in hunger relief programs.”
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