USDA cancels food bank deliveries nationwide, Hunger Task Force says

MILWAUKEE – Hunger Task Force on Tuesday said the U.S. Department of Agriculture has canceled deliveries to food banks nationwide.

Hunger Task Force

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What they’re saying:

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CEO Matt King said in a statement that, for Hunger Task Force, specifically, the cancelations of five full truckloads represents more than 302,000 pounds of food valued at $615,000 – a little more than 25% of the state’s canceled total. 

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The items that were canceled for delivery include meat, milk, cheese and eggs. 

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King said Hunger Task Force will still have enough inventory to keep children, families and seniors fed through its emergency food network, but the cancelation comes at a time of increased need. King said, over the past year, visits to local food pantries increased by more than 30%.

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Across all programs, King said Hunger Task Force currently serves more than 50,000 people per month.

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Full statement from Hunger Task Force CEO Matt King:

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“We recently learned the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has cancelled deliveries to food banks nationwide. These deliveries purchase food from American farmers and ranchers and send it to emergency food providers. These cancelled deliveries will impact Hunger Task Force and the state of Wisconsin. Orders were scheduled from June – September and total $2.2 million dollars’ worth of healthy foods for the entire state of Wisconsin. Items that have been canceled include animal proteins, milk, cheese and eggs.  For Hunger Task Force specifically, this means the cancellation of five full truckloads of canned chicken, cheese, milk and eggs and eight partial truckloads of turkey breast, chicken legs, pulled pork and pork chops. This represents over 302,000 pounds of food valued at $615,000, which is a little more than 25% of the state’s canceled total. With the cancelation of these food deliveries, Hunger Task Force will still have enough inventory to keep children, families and seniors fed through our emergency food network. However, this comes at a time of increasing need in our community, when local families and seniors are struggling to make ends meet amidst the high cost of living. Over the past year visits to local food pantries have increased by over 30%. Across all our programs we are currently serving over 50,000 people a month.”

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USDA cuts

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The other side:

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FOX6 News reached out to the U.S. Department of Agriculture for comment on this story but did not immediately hear back.

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The backstory:

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Last month, the USDA cut more than $1 billion in funding that helped schools and food banks buy from local farmers. 

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The move was part of cuts to multiple federal programs to minimize government waste led by President Donald Trump and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). The U.S. Department of Agriculture programs were funded through its Commodity Credit Corporation, a Depression-era fund established to purchase products from farmers. 

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