Harrisburg Area Food Pantry
Eleven truckloads of food once destined for the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank have been cancelled.
Food bank Executive Director Joe Arthur recently got word that these spring and summer shipments of food for families in need would not be coming.
This is just the latest dilemma for the food bank following funding cuts to federal programs that the organization relies on in order to feed families during what Arthur called “a hunger crisis.”
In March, the U.S. Department of Agriculture cancelled $13 million in funding for the Local Food Purchase Assistance Program in Pennsylvania, which pays local farmers to supply fresh food to food banks. The federal government also cut funds for the Emergency Food Assistance Program, which provides shipments of food, 11 of which were scheduled to head to the Central PA Food Bank from April through August, Arthur explained.
Arthur expects that the program cuts will result in the food bank losing nearly $1.9 million, impacting the amount of fresh meat, dairy and produce that it can provide to the 250,000 people served each month in 27 counties across central PA.
“We won’t be able to provide as much of that homegrown, nutritious food as we usually do,” Arthur said.
Each month, the food bank receives around $120,000 from the LFPA program for products like dairy, meat, butter, eggs, fruits and veggies. Now, the food bank won’t receive this assistance, through the upcoming fiscal year. The additional truckloads of food shipments through the Emergency Food Assistance Program were considered a “bonus” initiative, but in the midst of a hunger crisis, Arthur said they became crucial.
“This additional bonus product has been a really, really helpful piece,” he said.
The Harrisburg Area Food Pantry in the Camp Curtin YMCA likes to give its clients choices when shopping, stocking a few types of protein, produce and dairy.
However, for those families in need, options may soon be limited.
The pantry relies on the Central PA Food Bank for about 70% of its stock of food that goes to thousands of Harrisburg area residents each month.
Executive Director Deidre Lenker said that their food pantry is one of the only ones in the area open five days a week, requiring constantly refreshed shelves. Just in March, the pantry served 4,672 clients.
Now, they’re bracing for the effects of the federal funding cuts and potentially less food sourced from the food bank.
Lenker said that they expect that they’ll have to limit the amount of food that they can give families and rely more on non-perishable items. And if they can’t get enough from the food bank, the alternative is to purchase food at retail prices, which would be much more costly.
“Frankly, we don’t have the resources to run around to stores and buy cases of milk,” she said.
According to Arthur, the funding cuts are hitting at a time of crisis for the food assistance programs. The food bank is seeing more people needing help with food than they were even at the peak of the pandemic. Currently, they’re experiencing 20 to 25% more demand for food assistance than in 2021, he said.
Last week, Gov. Josh Shapiro announced that his administration was appealing the USDA’s termination of the program, and Arthur said that he hopes the effort is successful. Shapiro has also requested additional funding for the state’s Pennsylvania Agricultural Surplus System program, which would help the food bank.
In the meantime, to make up for the loss of federal money, Arthur said they’ll need additional donor support. However, he thinks it’s unrealistic that they’ll be able to make up for the total amount that’s been lost. Still, he is grateful for any extra help they can get.
“We are starting to see people respond,” he said. “They’re reading the news and they’re worried.”
For more information about the Central PA Food Bank, visit their website. To find out more about the Harrisburg Area Food Pantry, visit their website.
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