Budget cuts to food programs from the United States Department of Agriculture can be felt all over the country, including in Connecticut.
In March, Connecticut Foodshare experienced “drastic cuts” to federal funding, including the elimination of the Local Food Purchase Assistance 2025 Cooperative Agreement (LFPA) and the loss of 34 truckloads from The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP), the organization stated in press releases.
“This is a huge loss for Connecticut Foodshare, our local food pantries and the Connecticut residents we serve,” the organization stated.
Connecticut Foodshare received $3 million in funds from past rounds of LFPA funding, funding 1 million meals. That funding allowed the organization to purchase food from local farms and provide healthy foods to those in need, External Communications Director Ayah Galal said.
“It’s a big loss not having that program anymore,” she said. “Connecticut became a national model for the LFPA program.”
TEFAP is a federal nutrition program that moves food from farms to food banks, for people facing hunger. The program, which purchases fruits and vegetables from U.S. growers, is run by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
The loss of TEFAP means Connecticut Foodshare is out 1.4 million pounds of food and would cost $1.7 million to recoup, Galal said.
“We’re a nonprofit, so we don’t have endless flows of money,” she said. “It’s been a gut punch.”
Gemma Moran Food Center
The current situation is business as usual for the Gemma Moran Food Center, although there’s been an increase in demand, and more people using services than before, due to rising food prices, United Way of Southeastern Connecticut President and CEO Dina Sears-Graves said.
The Food Center itself isn’t dependent on federal funds, relying on community donations and the retail recovery program instead. However, Connecticut Foodshare took a hit from the government cuts, so organizations using Foodshare, including the St. Vincent de Paul Place in Norwich, will look to other sources to make up for that loss, including the Food Center, Sears-Graves said.
“Eventually, we will not have enough food based on that,” she said.
This said, Sears-Graves is confident the community will “rise to the occasion,” and support the Food Center, she said.
“Hopefully through donations, we’ll be able to make up some of the difference,” Sears-Graves said.
What can be done?
Connecticut Foodshare is supporting state House Bill 7021, which would give the organization additional funds. The State of Connecticut currently gives Connecticut Foodshare $850,000 annually. If the bill passes, annual funding will increase to $10 million, Galal said.
“That’s one way to make up for these lost funds, but we’ve been pushing for this funding before we found out about the federal cuts,” she said.
Galal urges the public to donate to and volunteer for Connecticut Foodshare or their local food banks and pantries, she said.
“It’s not an easy time, and it’s unfortunate to see how drastically those cuts are impacting us as an organization, and the families we serve,” Galal said.
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